


Dragon Ball: Mercy

by LucaBicono



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Character, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Gay Character, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Other, Personal Growth, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trans Character, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2018-07-21 20:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 79,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7403692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucaBicono/pseuds/LucaBicono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One merciful act is all it takes to make a change. A change is all it takes to make things better or worse. And what could be worse than the Earth losing it's greatest hero?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Merciful Act

**Author's Note:**

> I first thought of this story by asking myself one question: What if Freeza had accepted Goku's mercy on Namek?

Anger.

All he could feel was anger.

...No. Anger was too soft a word. What he was feeling was more...hollow. Despondence? Was that the word? Depressed? Lost?

Bah, who cared anymore? He certainly didn’t. He looked down, cringing as he once more acknowledged his missing legs and arm, lost by his own attack. An attack he’d stolen from one of his millions of victims. Billions of victims. Hundreds of billions.

Hundreds. Of. Billions…

And he’d chosen to kill the one weasel that just so happened to be the catalyst for his downfall.

Lord Freeza, Emperor of the Universe, had been reduced to a limbless shadow of his former self in just one day. He never imagined this would happen when he woke up this morning. His hubris had been his downfall, trusting too much in the power of a form that he’d never used. A form he wasn’t used to.

He looked back, watching as Planet Namek pulsed and cracked apart, debris beginning to fly off of the surface as the five minutes came to an end. Was the Saiyan still on it? A piece of him wanted to hope he was. Wanted to feel the same ruthlessness in his bones that he’d felt his whole life. Wanted to have revenge.

But he just couldn’t care.

The Saiyan had spared him. After all of his talk, all of his banter, all of his drivel about beating him and making him pay and killing him…

...Come to think of it, he’d never vowed to kill him. Only make him pay. Only get back at him. Only make him feel the same things he made his victims feel. And perhaps he’d succeeded. Freeza had been beaten. Humiliated. Absolutely destroyed.

His special force was dead, and even if any of them were still alive, they’d certainly be dead now that the planet was exploding. His pride had been shattered, by nothing more than a mere ape. His legs, his tail, his empire...All gone in the blink of an eye. All taken by the last of the Saiyans, Kakarot, Son Goku.

Right now, he couldn’t tell what his biggest mistake was. Was it killing that Earthling and creating his own worst nightmare? Was it turning his back and sparing the Saiyan, instead of killing him with the energy he’d been given, undeservingly? On the one hand, not killing that Earthling would have prevented the Saiyan from transforming. On the other, sparing him had ensured the loss of his kingdom. His father...his brother...they’d be coming after him now. Hunting him. Sparing a foe was not just a dishonor, it was a crime. Attacking the Saiyan and dying would have at least spared him the horrors his father would have in store when he found him.

A roaring caught his attention, and he noticed he’d been spacing out as he floated away from the dying planet. He spun around, watching as the ball of magma and rock finally collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a bright flash of light, a loud, high-pitched whine, and finally silence, accompanied only by dust where the planet had once been.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a spark of light, and he recognized the small, person-sized sphere zipping away into the stretches of the cosmos. The Saiyan had survived. He’d escaped his fate. He’d dealt yet another blow to Freeza’s pride.

And that was the straw that broke Freeza’s back.

A purple aura surrounded his body, and with a burst of energy--the energy given to him by Goku--he thrust himself into the darkness of space, haphazardly swerving to avoid space debris. He needed to get away. He needed to get as far away from the late planet as he could. He needed to make sure his father could never find him.

He needed to survive.

\--

Freeza couldn’t remember what had happened after that. He vaguely remembered drifting, cold, freezing in the vacuum of space. When he next opened his eyes, he was staring at what appeared to be a stone ceiling. He moved his right arm. Then his left. He flexed his toes, curled his tail.

Had it all been a dream? Had he been given a second chance? Had he been given the opportunity to undo his defeat?

He looked down, individually flexing each toe, watching the blue cotton draping his body move with each toe. He thrust the covers off, half-expecting to find his old limbs still attached.

They weren’t.

In their place sat metallic prosthetics, steel plates covering his thighs and calves. His arm and tail, too, were turned to steel, and made quiet whirring sounds as he moved them. He looked around, taking note of the I.V. attached to his flesh arm. He swung his legs over the side of the mattress--they were surprisingly heavy--and placed them on the floor, pushing himself to stand. He stumbled at first, catching himself on the wall, before hobbling to the nearby window, staring out at the planet he’d arrived at.

It was a complete dump. Buildings were thrashed and broken, the skies were smoggy and the air smelled foul. Down below he could make out small fires around which only a couple of people could be seen gathering. He felt a chill run down his spine and into his prosthetic hip.

Freeza Planet 53.

He stumbled back a bit as the door creaked open, half expecting to see Zarbon or Dodoria, but only coming face-to-face with a dwarfish blue man wearing a cloak.

“At last, you’ve awoken, Lord Freeza!” He bowed to one knee, lowering his head. Freeza felt the corner of his mouth twitch; how good it felt to have someone bowing before him again. “I had Tagoma build you a set of prosthetic limbs. How are they?” Freeza remained silent, staring him down for a good five seconds. “M...My lord?”

“Sorbet.” Freeza spoke, a hint of annoyance in his throat as always. “How long have I been unconscious?”

“A-About five days, my lord!”

“I see…” He glanced out the window briefly. “And, pray, where did you happen to find me?”

Sorbet gulped, a bead of sweat running down his temple. “We...We found you floating around Freeza Planet 54’s atmosphere...I apologize for bringing you to this planet, but it was the closest one with medical supplies!” He babbled out his apologies quickly, but many of them fell on deaf earholes.

“Freeza Planet 54...Quite a ways away from Namek…” Freeza muttered to himself.

“Yes sir.” Sorbet nodded. “We received a call from your brother, and--”

“Does he know that I’m here?” Sorbet fell silent. “Sorbet, I asked you a question. Does my brother, and in addition, does my father know where I am?”

“Y-Yes, my lord. Sir Cooler said he thought he’d spotted you flying away from the planet Namek, but you were moving too fast for him to follow…Worry not, he and your father will be here soon, and then all three of you can--”

The floor in front of him erupted in dust: Freeza was pointing at a fresh burn mark.

“Sorbet, I want you to prepare a ship. I am leaving on personal business matters. Remove the tracking functions from the ship and replace them with a radar and mapping system. My destination is ‘Earth’. I want it done in the next fifteen minutes, or else…” He glanced at his henchman, a cold, hollow glare that spoke not of the most ruthless killer in the universe, but of someone longing for vengeance.

“Y...Yes sir!” Sorbet cried as he sprinted out of the door.

Freeza glanced out the window, eyes trained on the smog-ridden skies.

He’d been planning to overthrow his father for years now, so in a way, perhaps Son Goku hadn’t been a complete waste of his life. His plan was already in motion: he would go to Earth, feigning innocence and a desire for redemption, and tell Goku of his father and brother as they followed him there. With any luck, the ape would help take both of them down, and right when his back was turned…!

Freeza’s mouth twisted in a malicious smirk, a chuckle building in his throat as his tail twisted and turned to and fro.

\--

And suddenly this was now happening.

Freeza slammed into the side of his ship, stumbling as more and more heavy-artillery weapons pelted the exterior. According to the mapping systems, he’d gotten close to Earth over the course of eleven months, and had done a decent job of evading his pursuers this whole time.

But now they’d caught him. They had their sights trained on him, and weren’t letting up in the slightest. He cried in fury, slamming himself into the window closest to the planet, and soaring downward as his ship exploded behind him. He felt his body burn as he broke through the atmosphere, a few metal plates on his limbs melting away.

The ground rushed up to meet him, and he flipped forward, landing on his feet and creating an enormous crater around himself. He needed to hurry.

He flicked on his scouter, trying to find Goku’s energy signal, only to pick up several smaller sources just to his right. He turned, and sure enough, there were the whelps he’d fought on Namek, this time with a few new faces, namely a man with three eyes, a woman with blue hair, and a young man who beared some minor physical resemblance to Goku. The latter of the three, though he resembled Goku, was anything but, as his energy signal proved.

Hundreds of energy signals popped up on his scouter, and sure enough, the ship his father and brother had taken was flying down, preparing to land right nearby.

He jumped towards his former foes, landing in front of them in a panic.

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face around me, Freeza!” Urgh, of course, Vegeta…On any other day, Freeza would have mocked his ridiculous attire, a pink t-shirt and yellow pants, but now was not the time. “You must want a real challenge, from a real Super Sai--”

“Yes yes, that’s very nice Vegeta, now listen, I need to talk with the Super Saiyan.” He looked around. “...Who appears to be absent.” He noticed one particular person standing to the side, almost like a mini-me of the three-eyed man. “...I’m not even going to ask how you’re still alive, there’s no time, where is Son Goku.”

He glanced around, unease growing by the millisecond. He clenched a fist, glaring at them all. “I’m not pissing around, you maggots! It is of the utmost importance that Son Goku be here! I don’t care if he’s eating! I don’t care if he’s training! He could be dying of sepsis for all I care! JUST BRING ME SON GOKU!”

Up stepped the runt, his horrendous haircut having grown longer and spikier. How he loathed the sight. “Why, so you can just kill him on the spot!?”

“Oh I wish I could do so…” Freeza grumbled. “But right now, he’s the only chance any of us have for survival! That ship that has just landed is carrying two fighters who are my equ--...” He shut his lips tight, swallowing his pride. “...My superiors in strength.” The looks of shock around the group were enough to tell him he’d gotten through to them. “Goku needs to be here! Alone he and I would stand no chance, but together...I’m willing to put our little spat aside momentarily, so bring him to me!”

“That’s...going to be a problem…” The short bald one gulped. “He’s...not on Earth…”

The silence was thick enough to almost make Freeza gag. He glanced back, his fists clenched in horror as Cooler and their father exited the ship, with several hundreds of soldiers following them. “Wh...What do you mean he’s not on Earth? I saw him escape Namek before it was destroyed! He has to be here!”

“We tried to bring him here, but he said he didn’t want to come back.” The Namek explained, sweat on his forehead. “We have no idea when he’ll arrive.” Freeza felt his eye twitch, despair beginning to bubble and froth in his chest.

“Well, well, well…” Cooler and their father floated up behind him, followed by several hundreds of soldiers. “It appears little Freeza is not only a soft-hearted coward, but also a filthy traitor.” A sneer curled itself upon his lips as Freeza shakily turned to face him. “Orders, father?”

“Men, kill the Earthlings and the monkey. I’ll leave Freeza to you, Cooler.”

As if on instinct, Freeza lifted his arm, firing a Death Beam at his brother, who swiftly dodged it, allowing it to hit about ten of the soldiers behind him.

“Do you want him alive or dead, father?”

“I’ll leave that up to you.”

Cooler smirked, glaring daggers at Freeza. “Dead it is then.”

To everyone’s horror, Cooler raised his finger above his head, an enormous energy ball forming at his fingertip. It grew larger, and larger, looking more and more like the sun as each second passed.

Freeza, in a panic, turned to his temporary allies. “D-Do something! He’ll destroy your precious planet, and by extension, all of us!” But nobody moved, staring at Cooler in terror. Freeza had been terrifying enough on Namek, but this was a completely different level. The Earth was doomed, and nobody could save it.

But then, a blur caught everyone’s eye, rushing towards Cooler and causing his attack to detonate prematurely, blinding everyone momentarily, but doing nothing more. There was a thud, and Freeza recognized the squirming and writhing thing on the ground before them: Cooler’s tail.

Cooler himself had leapt away at the last second, caught off guard by the advance. Before them all stood a young man with lavender hair, clad in a blue denim jacket, black jeans, and brown combat boots. In his hand was a sword, purple blood glistening off of the steel blade. Before anyone could react, he vanished, blood flying every which way as King Cold’s fleet was decimated in a matter of seconds. The boy emerged, completely unscathed, staring down both Cold and Cooler.

Freeza couldn’t remember what happened next. It was all a blur, a mix of reds, and purples, and yellows, and oranges, and silvers, and golds. Blood. Fire. Steel. The glow of…

He couldn’t bear to even think the name.

When it was all over, specs of viscera dotted the ground around them: what once had been Cooler was now literal dust in the wind, burnt to ashes after being brutally sliced apart. King Cold, too, was gone, nothing more than a scorch mark before the young man.

Speaking of whom, Freeza now saw the tip of a blade in front of him, aimed directly at his face. The young man glared at him, a morose hollowness in his cyan eyes.

“Freeza.” He spat, as though the name were bile in his throat. “I didn’t expect to see you here…At least, not in this state.” The look in his eyes became more of one of curiosity and intrigue. “That’s not good...I never expected…”

“Hey!”

Freeza never thought he’d be so glad to hear Vegeta’s ear-grating voice.

“What the hell was that?!” The Saiyan prince cried, confusion and shock evident in his tone.

The young man before them powered down, his golden locks returning to their soft lavender color. His scowl turned to a sort of...grin. No malice or ill will, but obviously a grin that told of hardship, and trial, and...nostalgia?

“I’m sure you’re all very confused.” He turned away from Freeza, facing the rest of the group. “I can’t provide many answers, for...reasons. But I can guarantee one thing: Goku will be here soon. I’m going to go to the spot where we’re supposed to meet up right now as a matter of fact. Care to join me?”

\--

Freeza sat a ways away, watching everyone else socialize and drink and snack. His stomach gurgled slightly, having not eaten in several hours, but he stood his ground, careful not to make eye-contact with the young man. In fact, forget eye-contact, he made certain not to look at anyone while the young man could see him.

The mystery man had said Goku would be here, and yet, here they were, three hours later, and not one sign of the monkey. His scouter clicked and buzzed, and no energy signals were showing up besides those before him.

Finally, he could take it no more. He stood, marching over to the group, several of whom straightened up, bracing themselves. He stopped in front of them, looking left and right.

He grit his teeth. “It’s been three hours.” He cleared his throat. “Son Goku isn’t here yet. Would you mind telling us what you’re playing at by keeping us here any longer?”

“Trust me, he’ll be here.” The young man glared. “If you’re so eager for someone to kill you, I’ll gladly comply.” He placed his hand on his sword’s grip. “I may not be as strong as Goku, but I think you can guess how you’d fare against me, given what happened to your ‘superiors’.”

Freeza’s teeth ached, and he realized now he’d been clenching his jaw tightly. He shut his lips tightly, brow furrowing.

A whistling sound filled the air, and in moments, a Saiyan pod crashed just a few meters away, causing everyone to cover their eyes. The group hurried over to the hole, watching as the door opened, and a silhouette climbed out.

Freeza’s spine stiffened, the sight of messy black hair setting him on edge. The clothes looked even more ridiculous than Vegeta’s, but there was no doubt about it. This man was definitely Son Goku.

The Saiyan leapt up from the crater, landing before everyone with a smile. The child rushed forward, tackling his father in a hug. Goku patted his shoulder, grinning patiently first at his son, then at the faces around him.

Finally, his eyes locked with Freeza’s, and for a split second, Freeza saw flames of rage dance behind his previously-soft eyes. It lasted no more than that, though, and was quickly replaced first with confusion, then a look as though he were saying ‘eh, whatever’.

To Freeza, it was maddening.

\--

Lightning pulsed and crackled, the air thick with heat and mist and energy, the very molecules dancing erratically.

Cell cackled, Gohan powerless before him. His body expanded further, coming ever closer to bursting, and taking the planet with him.

“This can’t be…” Freeza stammered, fists clenched in horror. “I...I can’t die here, not like this…!”

“Can’t you think about anyone but yourself?!” Krillin cried out, eyes wide in terror. “You’re not the only one on this planet, you know!”

Trunks looked on, collapsing to his knees. “I don’t believe it...Even in this timeline, nothing’s changed…” He let out a desperate chuckle. “No, that’s not true...Things are even worse, now…The Earth can’t be saved...”

Goku stared, sweat beading on his forehead. “No. There’s still one way.” He turned, glancing at everyone with those same compassionate eyes, that same patient smile. “Goodbye, everyone.”

Before anyone could say anything, Goku vanished, appearing right in front of Cell, arm outstretched and hand placed against his rapidly-swelling body. He looked down, where Gohan knelt, defeated and humiliated. “You did well, Gohan. I’m proud of you.”

The young boy was at a loss for words, barely managing to choke out, “D-...Dad?”

“Tell Chichi...Tell your mother that I had no other choice.” He grinned, the last grin he’d give his son for a long time, before vanishing once more, taking Cell with him.

Goku had used Instant Translocation at just the last second. Before Cell could even let out a cry of fury, everything cracked and sparked, a loud, bright burst of energy erupting from his body, completely obliterating King Kai’s planet, Son Goku, and himself. His nucleus was torn apart, completely disintegrated in the blast. And then, everything went black.

\--

“You know you can’t hide forever.”

Gohan nodded, eyes downcast. Piccolo glanced at him, unable to sense the same kind of energy the young man once had. He hadn’t given up training completely, but after Cell’s defeat, something had changed in the young warrior. He became distant to his friends, and shortly after his younger brother was born, he left Mount Paozu behind, without any word or indication of where he was going.

The first person he came to, the only one he trusted, was Piccolo.

“Gohan.” Piccolo joined his former pupil on the edge of Kami’s Lookout, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You know that it wasn’t your fault.” His shoulder tensed. “Goku was a great man. He would have given his life for the planet regardless of whether or not it was you down there. His choices were his own, right to the end.”

“You didn’t see him, Piccolo.” Gohan muttered. “The look in his eyes...He was so proud of me...But it was my actions, no, my lack of action, that forced him into that kind of corner.” He sighed. “I...I wish I’d just gotten another chance to talk to him...To apologize for getting so carried away with my power. After everything, nothing’s changed...I’m still just as unstable as ever.”

“Then you need to just do better.” Piccolo removed his hand from Gohan’s shoulder, rising to full height. “Your mother is worried sick. She has been since you left. And your brother is growing up with nobody but her to guide him. You know well how she is.”

“I do…” Gohan choked, teeth grit. “...You haven’t seen him, Piccolo. He looks...He looks just like him.” He looked up at the Namek, throat quivering. “How can I go home? How can I look my dad in the face every day, and yet never have the chance to find closure? Never have the chance to be forgiven?”

The Namek turned, walking towards the main building. “The first step to forgiveness is self-reflection. Learn from your mistakes. Face them and conquer them. If you wish for it, forgiveness will come, starting with forgiveness of the self.” Before stepping inside, Piccolo glanced back at his disciple. “Remember this. Freeza came to Earth because Goku spared him. When next they met, Goku may not have forgiven him, but it came with time. If he can come even a modicum close to forgiving someone like Freeza, I’ve no doubt in my mind that he never even needed to think about forgiving his own.”

\--

Goten stared in horror at the empty Lookout. Buu stood there, a temporarily-sated grin plastered on his smug face. The boy looked left, right, eyes searching desperately for any surviving Z-Fighters.

“You monster!” Trunks cried, hair glowing golden, cyan eyes brimming with tears. “Where are they?! What did you do to everyone?!”

The beastly creature simply chuckled, patting his stomach in satisfaction.

Goten’s fists clenched, and with a cry of fury, the Lookout was consumed in a blindingly bright light. Buu was forced to take a step back, the amount of power emanating from the young man nearly enough to blow him away. Golden light flashed and pulsed across the Lookout, and cyan eyes burned into Buu’s red ones.

A new Super Saiyan had been born.

\--

Dust cleared, lightning arcing through the air as the Spirit Bomb’s flash faded. Goku floated down, his golden aura fading just as fast. He touched down, raising his head warily, searching for Buu’s ki.

“I-Is he d-dead?” Hercule cowered behind both Goku and the beaten Vegeta. “D-Didja get ‘im?”

Goku searched and searched as his comrades approached from behind. Freeza gulped, eyes settling on the dust cloud. “Is that wretch finally gone?”

Seconds passed, before the dust was blown away completely, revealing Buu in all his terrifying glory. The beast cackled, pounding his chest with each laugh.

“Damn...It wasn’t enough…!” Goku grit his teeth and clenched his fists, sweat beading on his forehead.

“What now, Kakarot?” Vegeta grunted, pushing himself up. “The Spirit Bomb wasn’t enough...It’s never been enough...!”

Goku scowled, before sighing and smiling bitterly. “There’s one last thing I can do…” He turned to his friends. “Does anyone have a rice cooker?”

\--

Many years had passed since Goku’s sacrifice, Buu having been sealed by the Evil Containment Wave inside of a small vial, which was then stored away inside of the Room of Spirit and Time.

His friends had attempted to bring him back once more with the Dragon Balls, but to their confusion, neither Shenron nor Porunga were able to locate his soul. As time went on, the world changed more and more, ever turning with the flow of time.

The Age of 784 had come just as the others had, and the world was, as it had been for nearly a decade, peaceful. The World Tournament was fast approaching, and the air around the Son home buzzed with the excitement of the newest addition to their family.

Pan rocked back and forth on her bed, eyes set on the calendar across the room, the very next day circled in red. Her clock was ticking ever-so-slowly to midnight, anxiousness and joy and fear and nervousness fluttering through her stomach. She was finally going to enter this year, and all of her friends and family would be there to watch her.

The clock struck twelve, and she leapt to her feet, throwing her pajamas to the floor and hurrying to her closet, grabbing the child-sized orange gi, ‘kame’ emblazoned on the chest. She donned the outfit, tying her belt around her waist tightly, before reaching into the corner of the space and grabbing a red pole that matched her in height.

Quietly, she snuck to the window, opening it and climbing out. She leapt from the ledge, aimed the pole downward, and whispered, “Extend!”

The Power Pole shot downward, jamming itself into the ground and allowing her to slide down safely. Upon reaching the sidewalk, the polearm retracted, and Pan hurried down the road towards the arena.

She stopped outside of the gate, staring up at the statues atop the walls. She jumped up, gripping the ledge tightly, and pulling herself up to gaze into the stadium.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her around the waist, turning her around and lowering her to the asphalt. She spun on her heel, coming face-to-face with her father, Gohan.

“Pan, your mother and I told you, no sneaking out to the stadium after dark.” He scolded, a slight grin evident. “You may have Saiyan blood, but it’s still dangerous for you if you don’t know how to make use of it.”

“But daaad!” Pan whined, shoulders slumping in disappointment. “I wanted t’be here first thing in the morning! I don’t wanna miss out this year like I did last year!”

“Hey now, don’t worry!” Gohan cooed, scooping her up in his arms. “You’re not going to miss it this year. Your old man will make sure of that!”

As if to demonstrate, he bolted down the street, and in seconds, they arrived back at their home. He propped her up on his shoulders, ducking to avoid hitting her on the door frame, before sitting her down on the armchair in the middle of the room. He drifted into the kitchen, silent as a mouse, and returned after a minute, a glass of warm milk in his hand.

“Drink up, Pan, and then I’ll tuck you in. Just as training is important, one must be well-rested as well.” He smiled as his daughter downed the glass in one gulp, not unlike how his late father would. The thought of Goku momentarily dampened his mood, but he shook the feeling away, grinning as only a proud father could as Pan yawned heavily, eyelids drooping.

He picked her up, carrying her up the stairs to her room, and dressing her back in her pajamas. He tucked her in, planted a kiss on her forehead, and shut the light, leaving the door open just a crack. As he walked back down the hallway, he passed a framed photograph that had been taken shortly before the Buu fiasco: He and all of his friends and family were grinning at the camera, Goku and Chichi standing betwixt their two sons. Gohan glanced at his younger self, noting the glistening in his eyes.

Just as Piccolo had said, Goku never even needed a second thought.

\--


	2. The Tournament

Pan fastened the belt around her waist, stepping out of the doorway and into the sunlight, her ears assaulted by the cheers and shouts of the audience around her. She had blown past the preliminaries with ease, and even her first opponent in the event proper, a hulking mountain of a man named Wild Tiger, was no match for her. She had beaten her second opponent as well, an older teenager by the name of Ekosa, and was moving on to the semi-finals.

“Welcome, everyone, to the semi-finals!” The announcer cried jovially, earning a series of hurrahs and hurrays. “Advancing from the quarterfinals, we have Son Pan, granddaughter to the one, the only, Hercule Satan!” A series of cheers made Pan feel as though her chest were swelling with pride. “Her opponent, the so-far undefeated and unintimidated: Shashin!”

She approached the ring alongside her opponent: someone dressed in a dark brown cloak, who seemed to glide along the ground as they moved. They stood in the center of the ring, bowing to each other as the starting bell rung.

For a moment, neither moved, the air thick with energy and tension. Then, Pan leapt forward, swinging a punch at the mystery person’s midsection. She felt the leather cloak brush her fingers, but to her shock and confusion, the punch didn’t connect.

“A close hit, but not close enough!” The announcer bellowed into the mic, his voice reverberating around the stadium.

She landed behind them, spinning around and jumping backwards, expecting a counterattack. However, the hooded figure simply stood there, completely still aside from a slight breeze that rustled the hem of their cloak. Pan looked down, noticing that where she expected a pair of feet, there were none, as though whatever was inside the cloak was floating.

“It appears that Shashin is taking their time! Could they at last be intimidated by someone so strong for her age?!”

Pan felt a strange surge of dread run down her spine, gulping as the hood turned--without the body. She concentrated, trying to sense the strange creature’s energy, only to find nothing. She shuffled back, only to go flying forward as something hit her from behind. She skidded across the ring, grabbing into a crack at the last second to avoid flying over the ledge and out-of-bounds.

“OH! L-Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve never seen anything quite like this! Shashin is exhibiting speed never once shown before! They didn’t even move from their spot!” Pan raised her head in shock: indeed, the mysterious fighter was just where she’d left them, head still turned. “Could they have been hiding their true power this whole time? And what does this mean for young Pan?!”

The head turned once more, completing a one-hundred-and-eighty degree spin. Still, the body remained static. Pan tried once more to sense the opponent’s energy, but to no avail. By this point, the stands had quieted somewhat, several audience members staring in shock at the sight.

Pulling herself up, she charged again, this time tackling the cloak head-on. She clutched the leather tightly, trying to rip it away from whatever held it up, only to feel a sudden burst of wind against her face. She felt her grip loosening, and she looked down, her breath catching in her throat as she realized they were flying--higher, and higher, and higher, until the arena was just a spec on the ground.

“I-Is that out-of-bounds?!” The announcer stammered, staring up in confusion. “Neither fighter has touched the ground outside of the ring, nor have they touched the stands! I don’t think there’s a height limit either, so this fight is still strong! How will they get down safely?!”

The hooded figure finally stopped, leaving Pan dangling above the earth, fingers tightly digging into the fabric. It swerved sharply, trying to shake her off, before diving head-first towards the ground. With the concrete fast approaching, Pan reached behind her, grabbing the Power Pole and aiming down. The figure turned sharply, causing Pan to tear off a shred of the cloak before flipping and spinning downwards.

“Wait, they’re falling down now--No, they’re deliberately flying down! They’re going to crash and--OH NO! Pan has been shaken loose! She’s falling too fast!”

“EXTEND!” She called, and the pole obeyed, firing itself towards the ground. It struck the ring, and Pan slid down, far too fast for comfort. She gripped the staff, trying to slow her descent desperately. She hit the ground, not as quickly as she would have without the pole, but still fast enough to knock her over, her grip on the staff going completely. She bounced backwards, landing on her back, as the Power Pole retracted rapidly, toppling over and rolling over the edge.

“My word! In a display of incredible skill, Pan has just avoided what could have been a fatal injury! She truly is Hercule’s granddaughter!”

She pushed herself into a standing position, legs wobbling as her backside ached from the impact. Shashin floated down, landing just in front of her. Panting, she charged again, a barrage of punches striking the cloak, and yet nothing connecting.

With a cry of frustration, she aimed a punch for the head, finally connecting with something and sending the cloak flying backwards. It bounced off of the concrete a few times, before rolling to a stop at the edge of the ring.

“A-And Shashin is down!” The announcer cried, fist raised as though he were cheering. “The countdown begins! Ten! Nine!”

Pan stood stock still, the cheers and jeers of the audience nothing compared to her own heartbeat in her ears. She stepped forward cautiously, the countdown approaching…

“ONE!” The countdown finished, and still, Shashin had not moved from their spot. “Shashin is down for the count! Pan has just won the semi-finals, and is advancing to the finals at seven tonight! Don’t miss it, folks!”

Paramedics arrived, carrying a gurney and preparing to place Shashin on it, only to stumble in confusion when they realized that only the head seemed to have anything within it. They carried it off, and Pan practically strutted to the doorway, back straight and chest puffed out, a proud grin on her face. As soon as she was out of sight of the audience, slumped over, stumbling forward toward the benches.

“Pan!” Gohan called, rushing towards her. Behind him was Videl, followed by the rest of their friends and family. Almost in the blink of an eye, Chichi was in the lead, scooping Pan up and looking her over.

“Oh, my dear Pan! Are you hurt? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m fine, Gran’ma!” Pan sighed in exasperation, trying to struggle out of her grandmother’s death grip. “Just a little dizzy…”

“Dizzy!” Chichi scoffed. “She has a concussion! Oh, I knew this was a bad idea!”

“Mom, please calm down.” Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “I’m sure if she had a concussion, she wouldn’t have been able to get back in here without help.” He turned to his daughter, a slight smirk visible on his lips. “And from that little strut of hers on the way back, I’m sure her motor functions aren’t too shaky.”

“That was so cool!” Fast approaching was a girl around Pan’s age, blue hair tied into a little ponytail. She broke free from her mother Bulma’s grasp, running up to greet Pan. “You were like ‘WHOOSH’! And that guy was like ‘BOOM’! Then you both went like ‘VWOOOP’! Then you were fallin’ and they were like ‘RRK’ and you were like ‘WHOOO-BAM’! And then ‘BAM’!”

As Bra gesticulated wildly in an attempt to reenact the fight, Bulma scooped her back up, tittering at her daughter’s antics. “Congratulations on the fight, Pan!”

“Wasn’t nothin’!” Pan nodded, flexing her bicep, before wincing in pain and clutching it, trying to play it off as though she were still embellishing her victory. To the side stood Vegeta, and as soon as he caught Pan’s eye, his scowl briefly turned upward, and Pan could make a out a half-hearted thumbs-up.

“As glad as I am that she won,” Trunks approached, a look of confusion on his face, “I can’t be the only one wondering what that Shashin guy’s deal was. I saw every punch and kick Pan threw, and each of them should have connected. Not only that, but the cloak looked kind of...flat, when she knocked it over.”

Gohan nodded. “Yeah, I was wondering about that, too…” He turned to his wife, and the two of them seemed to have a silent conversation for but a moment, before Gohan leaned down to his daughter. “I’m going to go to the infirmary for a little bit, just to see how things are. Do you want to come and rest, or do you want a Senzu bean?”

“I’ll be fine without either!” Pan proudly proclaimed, bumping a fist to her chest and turning her nose up. As soon as her fist connected to her chest, however, she grit her teeth, sucking in a sharp breath, eyes shooting open. After a second, she squeaked, “I’m tough!”

“All right, if you say so.” Gohan chuckled, standing up straight and turning on his heel towards the infirmary. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He turned to Videl once more. “Let me know if anything happens while I’m gone.”

She nodded, smirking facetiously. “Well, we’re all breathing, the Earth is turning, there’s probably a cicada molting somewhere outside--”

“Ha-ha.” Gohan mocked, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Bulma, Trunks, care to join me?”

The two looked at him, confused, before nodding and starting after him into the crowd. Bulma stepped towards Vegeta, handing Bra to him. “Take care of Bra while I’m gone, Vegeta.”

“W-Why me?!” Vegeta stammered, holding Bra out at arm’s length.

Bulma glared daggers at him, thoroughly unimpressed. “I’m not bringing her back there! Do you have any idea how many germs a full infirmary has? Not to mention all the injuries that could mentally scar a child for life--”

“Pheh! Injuries!” Vegeta scoffed, propping Bra over his shoulder and jerking a thumb at his own chest. “Saiyan children aren’t nearly as fragile as you Earthlings! We can handle a little blood and viscera, even as newborns!” He attempted to hand Bra back over to his wife. “My little girl isn’t going to grow up into some prissy little mall rat!”

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” Bulma shrugged, ears plugged as she walked away. “She better be in one piece when I get back!”

“Get back here, woman! Bulma!” He called, brow furrowed, before sighing, resigned to his fate. “Well, it could be worse…” He held Bra out in front of him, eyes locked with her’s.

They stared at one another for a moment, before Bra waved, grinning widely. “Hi, daddy!”

Vegeta stared for a moment, before propping her on his shoulder again, and whispering to himself, “I will cherish this moment forever.”

\--

Gohan stepped into the infirmary, Bulma and Trunks close behind. “I don’t understand Gohan.” Trunks glanced around. “Why did you only need us?”

“On a hunch…” He stepped up to the bed where Shashin lay, cloak just as limp and flat as it had been at the end of the fight. “I think you two are the only ones who might be able to identify this ‘Shashin’...”

He reached down, grabbing the cloak, and pulling it away, revealing no body whatsoever. He discarded the hood second, and the trio stared at what appeared to be a strange spherical camera, the lens busted and cracked.

“Wh-What the hell…” Trunks muttered, studying the device. “A camera? ‘Shashin’ was a camera this whole time?”

“How could that be, though?” Bulma leaned in close, gazing into the lens. “We saw Pan get hit from behind!”

Gohan scowled, pointing to an emblem on the side: Two red triangles formed into one, ‘R R’ emblazoned in the center of each side. “I don’t think ‘Shashin’ was the one attacking. I think someone else attacked her from behind, in the crowd.” He glanced at his companions. “That attack wasn’t supposed to do damage. It was to see how she’d react to the situation.”

“The Red Ribbon Army…” Trunks glared at the emblem. “I thought they were gone for good after that ‘Cell’ fiasco…”

“They are.” Gohan picked up the sphere, studying the metallic surface. “It says that it was manufactured in Muscle Tower, a Red Ribbon base that my dad destroyed years ago.” He looked up. “Someone raided the base, found this camera, and used it to spy on my daughter in order to study her moves…”

“But why?” Trunks asked, placing a hand to his chin, brow furrowed in thought.

Bulma looked up at the two, eyes wide in shock. “You don’t think…Someone is trying to recreate Cell?” The two looked at her, at a loss for words. She whispered, “What if they were recording her moves in order to ‘teach’ Cell? So he would be prepared in case they ever fought. After all, Saiyan-Human hybrids have proven to be...unpredictable, for lack of a better word.”

Gohan nodded. “It’s possible...As much as I hate to think so…” He handed the camera to Bulma, looking her dead in the eye. "Bulma, I want you to take this to Capsule Corp., try to find out everything you can about it. The model, the year it was manufactured, and, if possible, any fingerprints that were left on it." She nodded, a determined look in her eyes. Gohan turned on his heel, towards the doorway. “Come on, let’s regroup. I don’t like the idea of Pan being out of my sight…”

\--

The clock was fast approaching seven o’clock, and Pan’s stomach was nothing but nerves, doing backflip after backflip in anticipation for the fight to come. Gohan had insisted on sitting with her in the lobby, everyone else having gone back up into the stands to watch the fight. Pan let out a shaky breath, and Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you’ve got this, alright?” He grinned patiently, patting her on the back. “Just do your best, and remember, no matter what happens, I’m proud of you, Pan.”

She nodded, grinning up at her father, before leaping to her feet, smacking her face to wake herself up, before marching confidently to the door, stepping out into the setting sun alongside her opponent, a young man with jet-black hair in a mohawk, dark skin glistening in the setting sun. He was rather tall, obviously in his late teens, just entering adulthood. He glanced at her as they stepped towards the ring, before training his eyes dead ahead.

“Welcome, one and all, to the final round of the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament!” The announcer pumped a fist into the air. “C’mon, let out your biggest cheer!” The stadium erupted, louder than Pan had ever heard it before. “That’s the spirit! Now, for all you just joining us, we have two first-timers in the ring today! Surprising, I know, for two newcomers to have gotten to the final round! This new talent is, of course, the granddaughter to our great hero, Hercule Satan, Son Pan!” More cheering, especially from the east-most corner of the stands, where the Son and Brief families sat. “Her opponent: A young man who has entered the tournament as a way to test out his own training, having shown incredible prowess thus far in his previous fights, say hello to Uub!” Cheering from all around, though no side in particular seemed to have the same kind of heart. Pan glanced around, wondering where his family was, or, in fact, if they were able to make it at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the starting bell, and the two bowed to each other. Pan got into stance, eyes hard and focused. Uub, however, seemed rather...aloof. He stepped forward coolly, his energy low, yet something behind it still sent shivers down Pan’s spine.

Finally, he stopped in front of her, staring her down. He lowered until they were eye-level, and he grinned slightly, the kind of grin that one would have upon discovering a photograph from a long time ago. He extended his hand, smile still slight. “My name is Uub. It’s nice to meet you, Pan.”

Pan straightened, taking his hand and shaking it, slightly cautious in case it was a ruse. “Nice t’meet you too.” She retracted her hand, staring at his as though he had several heads. “Why aren’t you attacking? This is a fight, y’know?”

He stood up, nodding. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say hello. And sorry, but…” In a flash, he kicked downward, knocking her off of her feet and grabbing her by the back of her gi. “This is for your own good.” He tossed her up, sending her flying several meters above the arena. He reared back a hand, a blue ball of energy forming between his fingers. “Dodge this!”

Without another word, he fired the attack, aimed straight for the young girl. Pan spun around to face the oncoming assault, and drew her Power Pole, knocking it away from her like a baseball to a bat. Another came flying up, and another, until five at once were flying towards her. She tried countering each one, but the final two hit their mark, sending her into a dizzying spin.

A whooshing sound filled her ears, and as she spun wildly, she caught a glimpse of Uub, floating next to her in the air. With a loud ‘ _crack!_ ’ she felt herself double over, a sharp pain shooting up her side as she was sent plummeting.

“Ka...Me…” She aimed her Power Pole at the ground, looking upward as the incantation echoed over the stadium. “Ha...ME…”

“EXTEND!” The staff shot downward, allowing her to slide down quickly. She landed on her feet, staring upward in shock as a blue glow filled the sky. Uub was floating above her, hands cupped at his side, an enormous surge of energy building up in his palms.

“ ** _HA!!!_** ” He thrust his hands forward, an enormous beam barreling down, aimed straight for her.

As if on instinct, Pan raised her hands, as if she’d meant to catch the deadly attack. To the shock of not only herself, but also her friends, family, and the spectators, a bright yellow beam shot up, colliding with Uub’s Kamehameha, and cancelling it out, an enormous explosion covering the arena in smoke and dust.

Pan shielded her eyes from the combustion, waiting a moment or two before looking down at her hands, said appendages twitching slightly, energy still emanating from her newly-fired attack. She looked skyward, watching as Uub floated down, not a scratch on him.

“Amazing!” He clapped once, grinning from ear to ear. “Just like back home...You really are Goku’s granddaughter!”

She twitched at the name, eyes wide in confusion and shock. “Y-You knew my gran’pa?”

Uub nodded, smile fading ever-so-slightly. “He was my teacher. Taught me everything I know.” He glanced around as the smoke began to clear, the stands finally becoming visible again. “Look, I can’t exactly stick around much longer, I just wanted to see what had changed from...Well...I’m not quite at liberty to say…” He leapt up, floating. “If you want to know more, climb to the highest peak on Mount Paozu. I’ll be waiting.”

And with that, he was gone.


	3. Growth

Uub floated down, landing atop the highest peak of Mount Paozu as he had said he would. He sat atop a nearby boulder, waiting patiently. Minutes became hours, and he sighed, having given up on sitting still and beginning to exercise, doing a couple hundred pushups to pass the time. He pushed himself to his feet, trying to sense any energy levels nearby, and, to his great delight, a small cluster of energy signals was closing in on him, approaching with great speed.

In mere seconds, Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks had landed before the young man, Pan riding atop the Namek’s shoulders. “I’m glad to see you decided to come here.” Uub grinned, taking a step forward. “As you heard at the tournament, my name is Uub.”

Piccolo nodded. “Yes, we know.” His brow furrowed slightly. “I also know that you’re not just a normal human...are you? You’re the reincarnation of Majin Buu.” Goten and Trunks both jolted, staring at the warrior in shock.

“Y-You knew?!” Goten cried, looking between the two. “You knew and you still brought my niece?! Come on, Piccolo!”

“I know more than you’d think, boy.” The Namek glanced at Goten, his eyes hardened as always. “We have nothing to fear. He may be the reincarnated Buu, but if he really wanted revenge he’d have taken it by now.” He turned to Uub again. “Though, there is one thing that bothers me...How in the world was Buu reincarnated in the first place? He’s still sealed away on Kami’s Lookout.”

“Y-You sealed him?!” It was Uub’s turn to stare in awe. “Why the hell didn’t you kill him?! How did you even--!?”

“Goku tried to destroy him with a Spirit Bomb, but it was unsuccessful.” Piccolo explain, lowering Pan to the ground. “He resorted to using the Evil Containment Wave, a technique that seals your opponent in a container of some kind, at the cost of the user’s life.”

Uub sighed, scratching his head. “So, that’s how he died here…”

“Here?” Piccolo raised an eyebrow, before his brow furrowed once more, staring right through Uub. “No, don’t tell me...Time Machine?”

“Time Machine…” Uub nodded. “So...do you guys want the long story, or the short one?”

Piccolo scowled. “I think we should just start with the short version, just to get the basics before jumping into the unabridged version.”

“Okay! So…” Uub sat back down on his boulder, crossing his legs. “Short version! Um...I’m from about fifteen years in the future, aaand in that future, a, um…” He cleared his throat. “A lot of people kinda...died.”

“I assume it wasn’t nearly as spontaneous as you make it sound.”

“No, no, it was pretty drawn out.” Uub shook his head. “Anyway! Ah, yeah, lotsa people were killed, including Goku. That is...really the most abridged I can make this explanation, things are way too complicated to just explain in short.

“So, long story, right. Fifteen years from now, a terrible creature calling itself Lacus will appear. I’m not sure what it’s goal is, but whatever it is it entails the death of all of Earth’s strongest warriors.” He looked towards the four, remorsefully. “It began with Krillin. Lacus took over his body and caught everyone off-guard. He killed Yamcha, Tien…” Uub glanced to the side, before closing his eyes. “And you, Piccolo.”

Pan was unable to see the Namek’s face, but she noticed that his fingers tightened around his arms.

“Goku tried to fight him, but couldn’t bring himself to kill Krillin. When he’d finally worked up the nerve, it was too late, and as soon as Krillin was of no more use to him, Lacus took over Goku’s body.” Uub shook, the memory of his master turning against the planet still haunting him. “It was an absolute slaughter…”

“Dad…” Goten gulped, sweat beading on his temple.

Uub nodded. “I managed to save a few, including your mother Chichi, Bulma, Muten Roshi, and several others who were attending Orange Star College at the time, including Bra.” He went on, and Pan felt herself let out a small sigh of relief. “Bulma began work on a time machine immediately, which I took to this point in time as soon as I could.”

“W-Wait, what happened to everyone else?” Trunks asked. “Chiaotzu, and my dad and...and the rest of the Son family?”

Uub looked at him, remorsefully. “I’m sorry. Chiaotzu died in the first hour, trying to find Tien. He turned the wrong corner and…” He trailed off. “You and Goten tried to take him on as Gotenks, but even that wasn’t enough. Gohan didn’t fare much better. Vegeta was the only one who could stand a chance against him, and he managed to incapacitate Lacus momentarily by cutting off one of his arms, but he ended up just like everyone else…”

He glanced down at the toddler of the group. Piccolo glared at him, as if daring him to recite her fate as well.

The young man however was not deterred. “Pan went up against him as well. I don’t know if it was because Vegeta had tired him out first or not, but she was able to hold him off, even force him to retreat temporarily. But…” He crossed his arms, his gaze steely. “I don’t know what happened to her after that. She disappeared where they last fought, atop the highest peak of Mount Paozu.”

Piccolo shut his eyes for a moment, stroking his chin in thought. “Why did you come? I’m sure Bulma told you that you cannot alter time in such a way that it will affect your own timeline as well.”

“She did.” Uub nodded. “I’m here to warn you, just in case Lacus rears his ugly head in this time as well. I’ve been travelling all over the timestream to try and warn as many alternates as I can.” He clenched his fists. “I’m also here...I’m also here to ask for your help! Please, help me train so that when I go back, I can take Lacus down, once and for all!”

Goten and Trunks exchanged worried glances, before turning to Uub, nodding, determined looks on their faces. Piccolo, too, nodded approval, extending a hand to their new ally.

And so, their training began.

\--

“Get up! That can’t be the best you’ve got!” Piccolo shouted, watching the water bubble and froth as his opponent attempted to surface. Pan broke through the water, gasping in a large breath and spluttering as she scrambled to the shore.

Two weeks had already passed since Uub’s arrival, and Piccolo seemed dead set on being the one to train her. Pan remembered that Gohan had once said that he had been his mentor as well, so, she thought, in a way, perhaps Piccolo saw Gohan in her.

She pulled herself up onto the rocky ledge surrounding the small lake, the sounds of blows crashing against one another coming from just over the ridge, Gotenks and Uub sparring just as they had been for the last thirteen days. From the small valley to the west, she could hear several ki blasts striking rock and dirt; Gohan, Tien, and Krillin were sparring with Vegeta and Freeza. Yet further to the east, she heard more sounds of struggle; Videl was sparring with Chichi and Eighteen.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a small green bean dropped to the ground in front of her. “Eat.” Piccolo commanded. “Your fatigue will vanish and you will be able to fight again.”

Pan grunted, her gi soaked completely through, making it difficult to climb out of the water. “It isn’t fair!” She pouted, downing the bean in one gulp. “You guys can all fly and use ki, but here I am stuck on the ground with my fists!”

“Don’t you recall you fight at the tournament with Uub?” Piccolo scowled back, arms crossed. “When he shot that Kamehameha at you, you struck back with a beam of equal power. You have the skill to do just the same as the rest of us. All you need is the discipline.”

The toddler groaned, making a face. “You guys have magic beans that’ll heal all wounds, but no cake that’ll make you super-strong? No ice-cream that’ll make you fly?”

“Tch!” Piccolo looked away, as grumpy as ever. “Your father may still have been the whiniest brat I ever knew, but you’re a close, close second, girl.”

Pan stuck out her tongue in response, the Senzu kicking in and forcing her to her feet. “When’s Bra gonna join us?”

“Bra?” Piccolo raised his brow in surprise. “Why in the world would you think Bra would want to join us? Vegeta and the Briefs have been nothing but doting to her, I doubt she can even swat a fly properly.”

“Nuh-uh!” Pan protested, crossing her arms as if to mock the Namek. “She’s got more Saiyan in her than I do! I bet when she’s older she’ll be super-super-strong and she’ll kick your butt when I tell her what you said about her!”

Piccolo stared for a moment, humming in thought. Bra did have more Saiyan blood, but… “Hmph! Then maybe we don’t need you here! With Bra, we have a higher chance of having another Super Saiyan on our side.” Pan twitched, obviously annoyed. “If you’d rather she take your place, then--”

He blocked as a kick was aimed for his face, grabbing Pan’s ankle and throwing her back into the water.

“Well? Would you like that arrangement?”

Pan surfaced again, spitting out a stream of salt-water. She glared up at the Namek, blowing a raspberry. “Shut up! Big mean pickle!”

\--

One year had passed, and sure enough, Bra had been more than ecstatic to train alongside her brother and best friend. Vegeta, too, had been glad to take his daughter under his wing. Already, progress could be seen; Pan had finally learned to control her ki, and although she still could not fly, she had spent three days doing nothing but Kamehamehas. Bra, on the other hand, had picked up flying fairly early on, and was slowly but surely learning to channel her ki into attacks.

The tournament was fast arriving, and although she wanted nothing more than to attend, Pan said nothing to the others, understanding just how important this training was. Marron had taken an interest as well, and although Eighteen and Krillin were concerned about her schoolwork, they agreed to let her train with them so long as she stayed on top of her schoolwork. To no one’s shock, she managed just fine(though there were days where she was unable to attend their sparring sessions).

Pan collapsed, exhausted from training. The sun had begun to set, and Pan had nearly forgotten what it looked like, having focused on nothing but Piccolo for the last seventy-two hours in what he described as, “A test to see how far you’ve come.” She knew he was still holding back, but she had a feeling that she’d still lasted longer than he’d expected.

The Namek, too, sat down, sweat visible on his temple. “Three days…” He sighed, masking a breath of exhaustion. “I expected maybe two at the most.” He looked down at her, irked that she had already fallen asleep.

He stood after a moment, grabbing her by the back of her torn-up gi, and flying back to the Son home on Mount Paozu. He dropped her into the pond, and after a few seconds, she surfaced, gasping for breath. “Y-You jerk! Stop doing that!”

“Climb out. Your grandmother most likely has a meal ready for you. I’ll go find the others and report how well you did.” And with that, he flew off again.

\--

Five years had passed since Uub’s arrival. Pan and Bra, nine and eight respectively, had begun school, and were unable to train as much as they used to. Marron, on the other hand, had graduated from high school early, several scholarships ensuring her a place in a good college, but preventing her from training at all.

Uub had grown much stronger, and Gotenks was quickly catching up. Gohan, although he had started out fairly rusty, was nearing his old strength, coming closer to becoming the strongest once again. Vegeta, however, was not far behind, and the two of them sparred regularly, with or without the others.

Lightning arced through the air, blows being traded back and forth as Pan and Bra fought. They both were airborne, ki attacks shooting every which way, each girl trying to outwit the other. Their friendship had been traded over the years for a bittersweet rivalry, both refusing to be outdone, much to the chagrin of Videl and Bulma(the two often needed to break up the more tame disputes).

A Kamehameha collided with a Galick Gun, power exploding from the center of the clash and blinding anyone who did not know to look away. Immediately after, the two rushed at each other once more, punches and kicks colliding with just as much power. Hours would pass, as the rest of the group was well aware by this point, and by the time they had worn themselves out, the moon had already risen and set.

Chichi, almost completely undeterred by the sight of the two lying spread-eagle in the grass outside their home, called out to them, bento boxes in hand. “Pan! Bra! It’s seven in the morning, you two need to get ready for school!”

Almost instantaneously, Pan jolted up, wincing as her spine creaked. “C-Crap! School!” She shook Bra awake, rushing her along as they half-hobbled-half-sprinted to the door. They each collected a box, and hurried down the mountain despite Chichi’s protests that they wash up and have breakfast first.

Upon reaching the base of the mountain, they both quickly dove into a lake, ditching their lunches at the water’s edge. After a couple of seconds, the two leapt back out, having rid themselves of dust and grime. They momentarily forgot their meals, before doubling back to grab them, and flying onwards once more.

\--

The sixth year of training was quickly approaching, and with it came snow and ice, as had been the case the previous years. The group had found themselves staying inside more often than going out to train. The only ones who never seemed bothered by it were Freeza and Vegeta, the latter of whom often was left out of commission for weeks with a fever once the snow had cleared.

Pan stared out the window, the clearings and cliffs of Mount Paozu completely invisible in the blizzard. She was anxious, plain and simple. The Briefs had a gravity chamber, and Bra was probably training rigorously by now. She felt a pang of jealousy in her chest, and she groaned, glaring into the snow as if daring one more flake to fall. Needless to say, hundreds more did the very next second.

The fire behind her kept her back warm enough, but her front was freezing, whether due to the cold window or nervousness over seeing Bra in the Spring, she couldn’t tell. A creaking sound came from the steps behind her, and she easily sensed the owner: Videl.

“Can’t sleep, honey?”

“M-mm.” Pan shook her head, eyes focused straight ahead into the snow. She stared a second more, before turning to face the fire, her mother sitting beside her. “Bra’s lucky. She’s got a gravity chamber at home, and I’m stuck inside this stupid house until the snow lets up.”

Videl patted her shoulder, smiling nostalgically. “I remember when you two were barely old enough to speak. You were nearly inseparable!” She looked to her daughter, slightly concerned. “Now you’re inseparable, but not in the way anyone had expected. You used to be such good friends, Pan. What happened?”

“ _She_ happened!” Pan pouted, crossing her arms in frustration. “She’s stronger, she’s smarter, she’s faster--She’s probably even able to turn into a Super Saiyan by now!” She pushed herself onto her feet. “And here I am, barely able to even hold my own against Uncle Goten! _Freakin’ Uncle Goten!_ ” She emphasized, clenching her fists. “I...I used to be the strong one, but now…It’s like no matter how much training I have, I’ll always be one step behind her.”

“Pan…” Videl stepped behind her, kneeling down and wrapping her in a hug. “Don’t you worry, honey. Being the best isn’t that important, you know that!” She chuckled. “You don’t want to end up like Vegeta, do you?”

The young Saiyan shut her lips tight, sweat beading on her forehead as she glanced away sheepishly.

Videl snickered, holding a hand to her mouth to conceal her laughter. “You know...Bra looked up to you all those years ago. She trained to catch up to you because you were her hero. And now that she’s surpassed you, you’re feeling inadequate.” Pan squared her jaw, her brow furrowed slightly as she looked at her mother. “But, listen to me...I think that, when it comes down to it, she never stopped looking up to you. That’s why she continues to train so hard.”

“I...don’t get it.”

“Pan, who do you look up to most, out of everyone in the world? And be honest, don’t say ‘you, mom!’, I want the truth.” Pan blushed, having been seen through. She glanced up above the fireplace, pointing at the photograph that sat there.

“Gran’pa Goku.” She answered. “I know he’s not around anymore, but he’s saved this world so many times...I want to be just like him when I grow up!”

“And what would you do if you could catch up to him?” Pan stared at her mother, realization slowly sinking in. “Bra doesn’t mean to cause you pain like this. She’s training hard to keep up with you because if you pull ahead, she’ll have to catch up all over again. She thinks that, if she falls behind again, you won’t have any obligation to be around her anymore.” She grinned, placing a hand on her daughter’s cheek. “And, you know...I think you look up to her too, in a way.”

\--

The Winter had passed, the snow finally melting from the mountain caps. The moment Pan stepped outside to take the first breath of fresh Spring air, she spotted who else but Bra, racing towards her above the slush. Almost immediately, the two began trading blows, more ready for training than ever. By the time they’d decided that they’d had enough, the sun had begun to set, and everyone else had gone home.

“You did good today, Bra!” Pan grinned, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Real good!”

“Thanks!” Bra grinned back, adjusting her blue Saiyan armor. The two stood there for a minute or two, watching as the sun slowly dipped behind the horizon. “Um...I gotta go home, now. Mom’s making spaghetti tonight!”

“Oh! Uh, y-yeah. See you at school tomorrow!” They stood for a moment more, before Bra turned, waving goodbye as she lifted off, soaring back to the Capsule Corp. building. Pan stood there, waving back, until she was little more than a glowing blue dot in the sky. She sat, knees to her chest, thoughts racing.

“Pan! Dinnertime!” Chichi called from the doorway, the smell of freshly-cooked fish drifting out towards the young Saiyan.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I’ll be in in...in a bit.” Pan smiled slightly, before turning back around to watch the sun.

Chichi debated whether to check on her or not, but with a smile, decided against it, propping the door open with a stone and walking back inside, where Gohan, Goten, Videl, and her father were waiting. “Where’s Pan?” Videl asked, more interested in conversation as the men began eating.

“Oh, outside. She said she’d be in in a moment.” Chichi smiled, tittering lightly. “I think she has a little crush.”

Gohan wouldn’t stop choking for a good fifteen minutes after that.


	4. Alpha

“Hello, Son Chichi speaking.” Chichi held the phone to her ear with her shoulder, preoccupied with preparing lunch for the group outside. “Oh, hi Bulma! How are you? ...Gohan? Alright, I’ll go get him.” She walked to the door and called out to her eldest son, “Gohan! Phone for you!”

Gohan descended, walking briskly to the door. “Hello?” A moment passed, and his face turned stony. “Of course, I’m on my way.” He hung up and dashed outside, leaping into the air. “Vegeta!” He called out as he approached the Saiyan prince. “Bulma’s figured out who was behind the Shashin incident at the tournament. I’m heading over there now to see what she’s learned. Keep an eye on things while I’m gone, okay?”

“Of course.” He nodded, though he raised an eyebrow. “I’m curious, though, what do you think could possibly happen in your absence?”

“Just be on your guard.” Gohan’s brow furrowed, his fists clenched. “I’ve been on edge since Bulma began looking into it, and now that she knows, I have a bad, bad feeling…”

And with that, he soared away towards the city in a burst of light.

\--

Meanwhile, deep underground in one of Mount Paozu’s caverns, the sounds of a struggle echoed off of the stone walls, each punch and kick sounding louder and more powerful than the last. Pan and Bra struck each other over and over, neither showing any signs of exhaustion.

The two leapt back from one another, getting into stance. “You’re really something else, Pan!” Bra grinned, a flash of what appeared to be admiration in her eyes. “All that time inside over the Winter, and you’re not the least bit rusty! I’m giving it my all here and you look like you’re barely trying!”

Pan, however, was not amused, and instead let out a sigh, a look of disappointment on her face. “You can stop lying, Bra.” The other girl twitched, having been seen through. “I know when someone is holding back. I don’t care how much stronger than me you are, I want you to go all out from now on, got it?!”

Bra seemed to consider this for a moment, before nodding sheepishly. “Right...Sorry…” She lowered her arms to her sides, and her spine seemed to straighten as a golden aura flashed around her. The caves shook, rocks clattering to the ground as Bra’s ki threatened to tear their training grounds apart.

Seconds and a flash of light later, and Bra stood before Pan, hair golden and floating upwards with the flow of her ki. “Alright then, Pan!” She smirked, cyan eyes burning a hole through Pan’s. “You wanted me at full power? Let’s see how you do against a Super Saiyan!”

The cavern seemed to grow in size in the next hour, several craters having been formed from ki attacks and friction from impact causing erosion. Pan was forced onto her back, panting heavily, completely worn out from the sparring session. Bra, too, was rather winded, and although she hadn’t sustained nearly the same kind of damage Pan had, she was still forced to sit down on a nearby boulder.

“Sorry, Pan...I know you wanna be stronger than me and I didn’t wanna make you feel bad. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings…” Bra explained, sheepishly. Her hair returned to it’s soft blue color, becoming limp and sticking to her forehead from sweat.

Pan grunted, pushing herself into a sitting position. “I do wanna be stronger, but I’m not dumb! From now on, no matter how strong either of us get, I want us both to give it one-hundred-percent!” Her scowl turned to a grin, hobbling over to the boulder Bra sat on. “That is, if you’re not too scared of facing me when I do get stronger!”

Bra giggled at the proposition “Me? Scared? Get real!” She extended a hand, pulling Pan up onto the rock next to her. She reached to the side, where their lunches sat, and handed one to the beaten-up girl.

“So, how did you learn to do that?” Pan asked, voice muffled as she scarfed down her food.

“What, go Super Saiyan?” Bra raised an eyebrow, taking bites that were several times smaller than Pan’s. “When you live at my house, you learn to adapt.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “More than once, I could have sworn my dad was gonna kill me…”

It was Pan’s turn to look surprised. “Vegeta? You’re his little princess, I’d never have thought he’d come close to hurting you…”

Bra scoffed. “He’s completely different in the gravity chamber. In there, it doesn’t matter who’s with him, all he sees are opponents. Heck, Trunks was bedridden for days right after the snowstorm hit!”

“What’d Vegeta do?”

“Punched him in the gut and ruptured his appendix.”

\--

Gohan landed swiftly outside of the Capsule Corp. building, hurrying inside, where Bulma was waiting for him. “Good to see you, Gohan! How’s the family?”

“We’ve been doing okay.” Gohan smiled, following her down the hallway. “Pan was a bit disappointed that she couldn’t train in the snow, but she got over it quick enough.” As they entered one of several rooms, his face became serious. “So, what do we know?”

Bulma picked up the camera that had been Shashin. “Well, for starters, we weren’t able to find any fingerprints, which is partially why it took so long to find out who set it up. I sent an excavation team to Muscle Tower, but for a long time we couldn’t find anything besides identical models and rubble.

“Luckily, just a week or two ago, the police arrested some guy who was carrying around a satchel full of discarded mechanical parts, several of which were matched with parts that Dr. Gero had used when he built Cyborgs 16 through 18.”

“They arrested him just for that?”

“Well, he was trying to get onto a train, he dropped the satchel, one or two of the weaponized parts was activated by mistake, and...yeah, wasn’t too hard to find him.” Bulma finished explaining, setting Shashin down on the work table. “He’s in custody right now, and he’s admitted to staging the fight with Pan. The police haven’t gotten anything else out of him, but they’ve identified him as the former Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon Army.”

“Silver…” Gohan placed a hand to his chin. “And they haven’t found a motive? He hasn’t confessed to anything else?”

“Nope. All they’ve got him for right now is assault and carrying weapons without a permit.”

Gohan sighed, shrugging. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Thanks for the info, Bulma. I’d better head back to Mount Paozu and--”

“ _Gohan!_ ” Piccolo’s voice echoed in his mind, urgent, shocked...afraid. “ _You need to come back! We were ambushed...It’s a cyborg!_ ”

“Piccolo! What’s going on?! Piccolo!” Gohan grit his teeth, eyes wide.

“Gohan? What’s wrong, what did Piccolo say?”

“He’s not talking anymore...The last thing he got out was that it was a cyborg!” He hurried out the door, down the hall and into the street, leaping up and soaring back towards Mount Paozu. “Please, let me make it in time!”

\--

Pan stared up at the ceiling, both her and Bra deciding to take a break from training for a bit to just talk and think. The caves shook, and Pan had to fire a couple of blasts to defend them from falling stones. “They’re sure going all-out up there, huh?”

“Yeah…” Bra sat up, looking at her companion worriedly. “You...You don’t think it’s Lacus, do you?”

“Nah, can’t be.” Pan dismissed her worries. “Whatever Lacus is, he’s not supposed to get here for another nine years or so.” After a moment, she sat up as well. “Though...they do seem to be having trouble…”

“...Should we go up and check?”

Pan faltered a moment, before nodding, leaping down from the rock and leading Bra along the path outside.

\--

Gohan landed at last atop the mountain, looking around for any signs of life. He sprinted towards the nearest cluster of energy signals, relieved to see everyone relatively safe and sound.

Krillin appeared to have taken some damage, as had Piccolo and Tien. Vegeta had transformed into a Super Saiyan, and Gotenks had followed suit. Uub was in stance, ready to begin fighting at any moment. Videl and Eighteen stood to either side of the group, and a quick sensing of energy told Gohan that Chichi and the Ox King were inside the house. He also noticed Pan and Bra’s energy deep below the surface, though slowly approaching what he assumed to be the exit to the caves.

Before everyone stood two strange figures, hoods pulled down over their faces, though, unlike Shashin, it was obvious that someone was inside each of the cloaks.

“Who are you?!” Gohan called, joining the others. “What do you want?”

The shorter figure lifted their head, removing their hood and staring at the group. Their face was more than just pale, it was completely white, with a faded letter ‘A’ on the forehead. Their cheeks and nose were painted red, like a clown’s, and their lavender hair was tied into pigtails.

“Greetings.” They spoke, in a voice that sounded as though it were coming out of an aged toy. “I am designated Cyborg ‘A’. My partner is Cyborg ‘B’. I seek Cyborgs ‘D’ through ‘Z’.”

Vegeta crossed his arms, thinking back to the Cell fiasco. “Wow. He missed nearly thirty cyborgs. Unbelievable.”

“Cyborgs ‘B’ through ‘Z’ were meant to be exterminated alongside me with the fall of the Red Ribbon Army, but for some reason, I was merely deactivated. My database indicates that all but one are still functioning, whether they be activated or otherwise.” ‘A’ explained, voice breaking still. “We were informed that the ‘Z-Warriors’ may know their whereabouts.”

“Sorry, but we don’t.” Gohan replied, hoping against all odds that this wouldn’t escalate any further. “Leave now, and things won’t need to get ugly.”

“Careful, Gohan…” Krillin muttered, eyes trained on the larger of the two strangers. “The big one...He’s tough…”

“You talkin’ about me, shrimp?” ‘B’ spoke up, his voice surprisingly new compared to ‘A’s. He lowered his hood, revealing his face at last: One half was unfinished, and the robotic endoskeleton was clearly visible. The other half was less pale than ‘A’s, but still flushed, with several scars running up and down the cheek and neck, with short, bright cyan hair sticking out from the center of his cranium. “Didn’t get enough last time?”

Krillin flinched, teeth grit at the memory.

“Cyborg ‘B’.” ‘A’ spoke up, raising a hand in an attempt to calm the brute. “Remain calm. There is no need to disassemble anyone yet.”

‘B’ bared his teeth, eyes darting between fighters. “They know more than you think. Didn’t Silver mention some ragtag group of fighters taking out Cyborg ‘C’’s finished model some years ago?”

“Cyborg ‘C’?” Gohan raised an eyebrow, the revelation slowly sinking in. “Cell…”

“That look on your face…” ‘B’ sneered, eyes trained on Gohan. “Heh...I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Is this true?” ‘A’s eyes seemed to dilate slightly. “Were you the ones responsible for our sibling’s destruction?”

“We had no choice!” Gohan declared, taking a step towards them. “If we’d let him do as he pleased, he’d have destroyed the Earth, and you along with it. Would that really have been any better?”

“Perhaps not…” ‘A’ affirmed, eyes becoming softer. “And yet...a debt must be paid.” They pointed at the group. “‘B’. Disassemble the one responsible.”

“If you’re looking for revenge on the one responsible, then I’m afraid you won’t get it!” Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms. “Cell destroyed himself. He was responsible for his own death, and no one else.”

‘A’ stared a moment, before lowering their arm. “I see.”

“Then I guess we’re just responsible for finishing the job!” ‘B’ rushed forth, fists raised.

“No, ‘B’!” ‘A’ commanded, voice raising. “Stop!”

But it was too late. ‘B’ struck down with all his might, his fists aimed for Gohan. The Saiyan dodged, grabbing hold of his forearm and spinning around, tossing him into a nearby plateau. The cyborg emerged from the rubble, soaring back towards the group, fists covered in a golden aura.

Gohan swiftly stepped to the side, the energy from ‘B’s fists shredding the front of his gi. The rest of the group scattered as ‘B’s fist collided with the ground, creating a massive crater and sending rubble and debris flying every which way.

Gohan looked around rapidly through the dust, unable to sense the cyborg’s energy. The air behind him vibrated, and he jumped, barely evading the burning fists of his opponent. Mere seconds later, and Gohan felt a searing pain in his left side.

He cried out in pain, doubling over and thrusting himself through the air out of the dust cloud. His fingers squished against the open wound, blood coating his hand. It felt as if a large chunk of flesh had been ripped from his body, and looking down, he sighed in relief as he saw that, while the wound was deep, he was still mostly intact.

“‘B’!” ‘A’ cried out, a slight inflection of anger in their voice. “Cease and desist, now!”

Instead of responding, ‘B’ burst out from the debris, another punch aimed at Gohan. Caught by surprise, Gohan could barely dodge the attack, an eruption of pain shooting up from his left shoulder into his neck and chest. His right hand shot out to where his arm once was, holding the stump in agony.

As ‘B’ was about to strike once more, a barrage of kicks struck him from behind. Gotenks and Videl shot forth, attacking the cyborg viciously. Ki flew every which way, and the sound of blows being traded echoed far across the mountains.

Pan and Bra finally emerged from the caverns, caught off-guard by the clashes above their heads. “What’s going on?!” Bra cried over the clamor, and Pan grit her teeth, pressing herself and the younger girl back-first against the rock wall, the ledge before them crumbling under the power above.

“Gotenks and Mom...They’re fighting someone, but I can’t sense their energy! I...I think whoever it is is a cyborg, like Mrs. Eighteen!” Pan held a finger to her lips, signaling for Bra to stay quiet, and the two slowly climbed up the side of the mountain, careful not to be left out in the open.

‘B’ raised both arms, and in an instant, he had grabbed both Gotenks and Videl by the throats, gripping them tightly. “Little rats…! DIE!”

Before he could crush their spines, a ki blast shot forth, severing both of his arms and freeing his captives. Gohan panted, forehead shining with sweat, the pain of his lost arm making his vision blurry and red. “Don’t...you DARE hurt them!”

In a flash of light, Gohan’s hair became golden, spiking upwards, his cyan eyes filled with rage. ‘B’ roared in anger, kicks lashing out at the Saiyan. The two traded blows for but a moment, before Gohan’s open palm connected with ‘B’s chest, sending the cyborg flying backwards.

Pan and Bra had made it to the top of a small rock formation just a few meters away from the fighting, and they were at least clearly able to see the two newcomers. “Who is that?” Bra asked, shaking despite the power she’d gained.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think they’re on our side…” Pan whispered, peering around the rest of the battlefield. She winced as she caught sight of Gohan’s severed arm, lying on the ground. “Yep, definitely not on our side…”

“What should we do?”

Pan thought for a moment, grappling with her options. Her knuckles turned white as her grip on the rocks tightened. “I...I don’t know…”

‘B’ flipped through the air, landing on his feet and creating a crater. He leapt back up, eyes wild like those of a rabid animal. “‘B’!” ‘A’ cried, eyes wide, “Enough of this! I command you to cease all attempts to disassemble these creatures!”

As Gohan struck ‘B’ down again, the cyborg glared at his partner. “Shut up, ‘A’! If you’re not gonna help me, go back to the scrapyard!” He looked back up at Gohan, teeth grit in frustration. “You took away our brother...That’s unforgivable!”

Gohan landed, meters away from ‘B’. “He took away countless mothers, fathers, children...He got what he deserved!” His glow flickered a moment as he continued to lose blood. He blinked, trying to focus on his opponent, but only making things more blurry.

“SHUT UP!” ‘B’ roared in fury, a bright flash bursting from his mouth. Gohan reared back a fist, throwing a punch as the blast drew near, sending the massive energy ball flying into the stratosphere, where it promptly detonated.

“‘B’! I will not stand for this mindless display of brutality!” ‘A’ hurried between the two. “Cyborg ‘C’ is gone. There is no way to bring him back. Even if we could, I am under the impression that he would not even think to give us the time of day.” Despite the death glare ‘B’ gave them, they stood their ground, resolute. “We shall seek out Cyborgs ‘D’ through ‘Z’. Twenty-five of us is sufficient.”

“Sufficient for what?” Gohan asked, trying to stay on his feet. “If you’re planning on doing harm to the Earth, or to the people living on it, then we have no choice but to stop you!”

‘A’ turned on their heel. “Harm is not our primary concern. We merely wish to find and reactivate our brethren. Our directives were simple back when the Red Ribbon Army was intact: world domination and permanent control of the Dragon Balls. However, our new leader, a man by the name of Silver, has given us a new purpose.”

“And that purpose is?”

The cyborg stood, staring, as though processing a large sum of information. “Data not found. Current directives are to find Cyborgs ‘D’ through ‘Z’. Following the gathering of all twenty-five remaining Cyborgs, new directives shall be given.”

Krillin took a step forward. “Do you really think Silver just wants a family reunion?! Once you’re all together, he’s just going to try and rebuild the Red Ribbon Army!”

“The fate of this world is of little concern to me.” ‘A’ blinked. “I wish only to see my brethren. Please, do not stand in our way.”

Gohan could feel his energy draining, and his glow flickered again, longer this time. After a moment of silence, he straightened up as much as he could. “We won’t stop you from finding the other Cyborgs, but you need to promise that you won’t hurt anyone. No matter what Silver says, if his plan involves hurting other people, you need to refuse.”

‘A’ stared, before nodding slightly. “Very well. I...I can make no promises, as it is in my programming to follow my directive, but I will at least try to resist.”

“Pheh!” ‘B’ scoffed, glaring at the group. “You’ve got some nerve, asking favors of us! ‘A’ might be bound by directive, but I’m not!” His lips curled into a sneer. “I’m not doing this because Silver said so, I’m gonna do whatever the hell I want!”

“‘B’--” ‘A’ warned, only to go flying as ‘B’ kicked them to the side.

“An’ if I wanna kill you all, I’m gonna!” He rushed towards them once more, covered in a golden aura.

“Hey, ugly!” Pan cried, rushing forth with as much speed as she could muster. She cut the cyborg off, kicking him in the face and sending him veering out of his intended path. Bra was waiting for him, aiming a kick at his stomach and sending him skyward. The two rushed forward, both attacking in quick succession to keep him from recovering. Finally, they appeared above him, striking his back and sending him crashing into the ground.

“S-Stay out of this, you two!” Gohan scolded, regaining a bit of focus. “He’s too strong for you to handle! Catching him by surprise will only work once!” The two landed in front of the rest of the group, as though daring ‘B’ to come at them.

‘B’ stared in surprise for a moment, before bursting into laughter. “Kids!? You brought a couple’a kids to a fight!” Suddenly, his grin turned to one of malice, and he glanced over at Gohan. “The black-haired one...She looks like you!”

In an instant, he appeared before Pan, his knee flying out and striking her chest. She was blown back, a dry retch erupting from her throat as she felt her ribs cave. ‘B’ vanished, appearing behind her and punting her downward into the dirt.

Pan tried to push herself up, only to let out a grunt as ‘B’ appeared above her, stepping down on her head. Even by applying just a little bit of pressure, he could keep her down. Pan’s hands scrambled to try and pry him off, fingernails scratching at his boot.

“Well? Whaddya think? Should I crush her head and make a mess, or her throat and keep it nice an’ clean?”

Gohan grit his teeth, a surge of energy reigniting his golden glow. He rushed forward, this time joined by Videl, Krillin, Gotenks, and Vegeta. The four of them at once struck the cyborg, forcing him off of the young girl just long enough for her to roll away. Bra hurried forth, helping Pan to her feet.

Despite having no arms, ‘B’ appeared to have found a second wind, and nearly every attack they threw at him missed it’s mark. In a flash, he headbutted Krillin, sending him crashing into a nearby plateau. He blocked several of Videl’s kicks, wrapping his legs around one of hers and tripping her, before blasting her with another mouth beam. She skidded along the ground, flipping back onto her feet and jumping back in.

Vegeta landed a punch to the unfinished half of the cyborg’s face, sending him reeling for but a second, before ‘B’s forehead crashed into Vegeta’s chin, stunning him. From there, ‘B’ launched an all-out assault, several kicks connecting with the Saiyan prince’s stomach and chest, before a final kick struck him in the face, pushing him over and sending him sliding across the dirt.

Gohan and Videl both finally managed to strike the cyborg, punching him in the chest and sending him flying a few meters. Together, they reared back their hands, firing an enormous energy blast at ‘B’. He leapt directly at it, his forehead connecting with the orb. After a brief struggle, the attack detonated, covering the entire peak in smoke.

‘B’ flew out from the debris, kneeing Gohan in the chest. Gohan grabbed his leg, swinging him in a circle, and tossing him at a nearby plateau. The cyborg regained his balance, soaring out of the way just in time and curving back around towards the Saiyan.

Several beams of energy rained down upon the cyborg, and he swiftly dodged each one. Freeza dove at him, dome connecting with his chest. ‘B’ found his throat being crushed as a metal tail wrapped itself around him, squeezing without hesitation. He grabbed the prosthetic with his teeth, grip so tight that a few of the metal plates bent. With one powerful pull, Freeza’s tail was ripped from it’s socket, metal debris falling to the ground.

Freeza grunted in discomfort, attempting to turn around to strike back, only to falter as his freshly-removed appendage struck him in the temple. ‘B’s leg shot out, kicking the former emperor away across the peak.

A pair of energy discs flew towards the cyborg, Eighteen having decided to jump in. He dodged them, leaping at her with a smirk on his lips. Eighteen raised up her hands in defense as he struck out with his feet, forcing her back a bit. In one motion, he dodged her punch, simultaneously kicking out behind him, striking Krillin as he attempted to ambush him. His golden aura returned, and he flew forward, headbutting Eighteen in the chest and sending her reeling into a nearby rock formation.

Videl appeared above him, kicking downward and finally managing to pin him by his neck. It didn’t last long, however, as he turned his head, firing an eye beam up towards her face. She evaded it by a fraction of a hair, and as she was off-balance, ‘B’ escaped, vanishing from beneath her and kicking her from behind.

Gohan fired a barrage of energy blasts at the cyborg, each one missing it’s mark. With a cry of fury, he threw his hand forward, an enormous Kamehameha soaring towards his opponent. ‘B’ merely kicked it, sending it skyward, where it detonated upon reaching the stratosphere.

“Give it up, brats!” ‘B’ laughed, walking forth. “Accept your punishment.”

“Bastard!” Gotenks cried out as he dashed towards him. Just as he was about to strike, however, the fusion ran out. ‘B’ jumped, scissor-kicking both Goten and Trunks in the head and sending them flying.

Suddenly, ‘B’ noticed that everything seemed to have a slightly more...pink hue to it, than it had just a few minutes ago. He looked around, the source unknown to him, until he looked upwards, spotting Uub atop one of the several peaks. His right hand glowed brightly, a pink energy ball in his fist. Then, before he could react, Uub threw it forward, it’s speed surprising the cyborg.

It struck, engulfing ‘B’ in a flash of light. Lightning arced, bolts of energy erupted from his body, and he was launched into the air by the sheer power of the attack. Finally, with a deafening bang, the Spirit Bomb exploded, blinding everyone momentarily. The light faded, and as the smoke cleared, the group could see that ‘B’, now heavily damaged and missing several patches of skin and endoskeleton, was lying in the middle of a large crater, smoke drifting off of his body in the wind.

Gohan let out a sigh of relief, finally allowing himself to fall over, blood loss finally taking it’s toll. In a rush, Piccolo grabbed his severed arm, lining it up to his shoulder, and emanating a soft green beam from his fingertips. In seconds, Gohan’s arm was reattached, and he chuckled weakly. “Th...Thanks, Piccolo.”

‘A’ stood to the side, staring down at ‘B’s husk. They remained silent, unflinching. They then closed their eyes. “I offer my apologies. I did not anticipate ‘B’ reacting in such a violent manner.” They stepped forth, picking ‘B’ up by his cloak. “We will take our leave.”

“Hold it!” Pan attempted to follow, only to be silenced as Piccolo pushed her back by the face.

Although she could tell he wanted to go after them as well, the Namek remained resolute. “It isn’t worth it, Pan. Live to fight another day.”

Pan glared up at him for a moment, before turning her gaze to the pair of cyborgs. ‘A’ floated up off of the ground, and in a flash of light, they were gone.


	5. Farewell and Return

Days had come and gone since the appearance of the cyborgs, and everything seemed to have returned to normal. Gohan’s arm still had not fully recovered, but he was making progress. Freeza’s tail had been rebuilt and reattached. The rest of the Z-Fighters had recovered from their physical injuries and were back to training once more.

Pan and Bra, now more resolute than ever, continued their training, staying up for several days at a time trying to determine which one of them was stronger. Despite Bra having reached Super Saiyan, her power seemed to cap off around there, and compared to Pan, she had stagnated. The two were neck-and-neck, neither giving up in their pursuit of strength.

Their schoolwork, on the other hand, was suffering rapidly, and more than once they were forced to stay behind to do make-up work. Marron had been taken in as an intern, and was more than happy to help tutor them in their time of need.

Before anyone knew what had happened, the seventh year was fast approaching, and, to avoid Pan being in a rather depressing state all Winter, it was decided that she would stay with the Briefs in order to get in as much training as she could. Much of her time was spent in the Gravity Chamber alongside Bra and Trunks, as all three of them tried (and often did not succeed) to hold out against Vegeta. Much to Pan’s excitement, Bra had not been lying; the Vegeta in the Gravity Chamber was completely different from how he was normally. Any semblance of gentleness that he may have had was completely gone, replaced with an almost-scary lust for violence and bloodshed.

Luckily enough for the three adolescents, as the snow and ice began to accumulate, Vegeta spent more and more time outside, often either braving the elements on his own, or sparring with Freeza out who-knows-where. Trunks had decided to join him on occasion, though it was fairly common knowledge that he would sometimes leave in the middle of a session to train or otherwise hang out with Goten. Tonight was one such example.

Vegeta threw open the door to the Briefs’ kitchen, nearly knocking it off of it’s hinges and rattling the table. “I am at my wit’s end with this brat!” Pan and Bra exchanged knowing glances, and slipped out of the room with their homework before he could shatter their eardrums. “‘Let me come with you’ he says! ‘I’m getting rusty’ he says! Next thing I know he’s off wasting time with Kakarot’s brat!”

“Sheesh, if he’s so sick of it, why does he even agree to let Trunks come along anymore?” Pan scoffed under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Bra shrugged. “Mom says he still has hope that Trunks will come around and actually start taking this seriously. Still, fool you once…”

The door to Bra’s room creaked open as they stepped inside, tossing their schoolbags into the corner. Bra neatly shuffled her papers, sliding them into their proper folders and organizing them on her desk; Pan had crammed all of her papers into one folder, carelessly shoving it into her bag. As the younger of the two flipped on the television, the older took a seat next to the window, staring out over the city as the snow fell.

“I wonder what they’re doing now…” Pan sighed, more to herself than to Bra.

“Probably off being gross _boys_.” Bra laughed. “You know, trying to impress uninterested girls, arm-wrestling, whatever it is guys do in their spare time.” She snickered, squishing her cheeks so that her lips were exaggeratedly puckered. “ _Or_ , maybe they’re off in a tree somewhere, if you catch my drift.”

“Agh, gross, that’s my uncle and your brother you’re putting images of in my head!” Pan stuck out her tongue. After a moment, she said, “I wasn’t just talking about them, though. My mom and dad, and grandma...Grandpa Hercule, Marron, everyone...Nights like this always get me thinking about them…”

Bra stepped over, muting the television and holding out her phone. “Do you want to give your folks a call and check on them? You’ve been so busy with training lately, I can’t remember the last time you even made a call.”

“Nah.” Pan declined, smiling. “If anything were wrong on their end, they’d have called me. Besides, I’m not worried, just...thinking.”

The two sat in silence for a minute, watching as the snow continued to flutter down in the wind. Bra stood up at last, pushing open the window. “Hey, follow me. There’s something I wanna show you.” As Pan made for their coats, Bra grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry, we won’t be outside long.”

They lifted themselves out of the window, and Bra floated upwards, Pan following close behind. They drifted up, up, up, before finally stopping atop the roof of their home. Bra held a finger to her lips, powering up slightly, just enough for Pan to make out a faint shimmer around her, and the snow at their feet melted, revealing a panel hidden on the roof. They dropped inside, pulling the hatch shut behind them.

“Where are we?” Pan asked, eyes not quite used to the darkness just yet. After a moment, the small compartment was filled with light; Bra’s fingers were clasped around a pull-chord leading up to a lamp.

Bra smiled, glancing around the space. “My secret room.” She explained. “I come here sometimes, when I’m feeling lonely, or nostalgic, or ‘wintery’.” She trotted over to a small box, pulling from it a large comforter blanket and several throw pillows. “It used to be an attic, but my grandpa decided to close it off in favor of setting up a new labroom below it. It’s cozy.”

Pan glanced around, observing the small room. There were several boxes stacked up next to the wall, blankets and old, raggedy toys hanging over the edges. Carpets were rolled up in a pile nearby the hatch they’d come in through, a little dusty but otherwise undamaged. In the corner sat a lone mirror, it’s gold-plated frame chipped and dark with age. Compared to the sleek, technical design of the rest of the building, the room seemed completely out-of-place. Pan felt herself smile wistfully; simple, rustic, just like home.

“Wanna talk?” Bra motioned for Pan to join her, comforter and pillows set up in a kind of fort. “It might help clear your head.”

“Uh...s-sure…” Pan sat down beside her, leaning back into one of the pillows. “I...don’t really know how to start…”

“That’s fine.” Bra smiled, patiently. “There’s no rush. You don’t even need to talk if you don’t wanna. Sometimes just sitting here helps me calm down.”

The two lay on their pillows, silent. Bra had picked up a nearby book, scanning its pages; Pan could tell she’d read it before. The black-haired girl stared up at the ceiling, arms behind her head.

“...Do you think I’ll ever get stronger?” Pan asked, the question popping out before she could properly process it herself. “I mean...look at me. By the time my dad was my age, he’d reached Super Saiyan 2...Uncle Goten and Trunks made it to Super 1 at half that. You made it, too…” She turned her head, searching Bra’s eyes for honesty. “Do...do I just not have that ‘thing’ you guys have? Am I not ‘Saiyan’ enough?”

Bra’s eyes softened, and scooted closer, placing a hand on Pan’s arm. “I don’t know...You’re the only quarter-Saiyan any of us knows, so we can’t say for certain...B-But hey, look on the bright side! We were only ever able to transform when we absolutely needed to, or when we were under the right kind of stress. Maybe you’re just not stressed enough?”

“Ha! ‘Bright side’...” Pan chuckled. “‘Who knows, you might just not be stressed enough to get this thing you really want’...” She sat up, and Bra followed suit. “Is...is it worth it, then? I’m already stressed out...about not being ready for Lacus...about you guys getting hurt because I’m not ready...Is more stress really the only way?”

The blue-haired girl scooted closer again, wrapping her in a hug. “Even if you never become one, I know you’ll do fine. You’re Son Pan, y’know? You guys’ve been saving this world for literal generations. Trust me, after all the training I’ve done with you, I can tell you won’t give up, even if Lacus is stronger.” She smiled, holding her shoulders. “They might be strong, but it’s all superficial. What’s strength without the will to use it?”

Pan’s shoulders shook, laughter escaping her lips. “Are you sure you’re younger than me? You sound awful wise for a ten-year-old.” The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes, pulled close to one another. “...Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Bra nodded, releasing her hold. “Feel better? Wanna head back to my room or stay here a bit longer?”

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d rather stay here.” Pan smiled, glancing around the room. Bra nodded, picking her book back up and reclining into her pillow once more. Pan followed suit, staring up at the ceiling again. She would occasionally allow herself a glance at her companion, only to look away seconds later, embarrassed for reasons that were at the time lost on her.

Minutes became hours, and soon enough, the two had drifted off to sleep, side by side.

\--

“Pan! Pan, wake up!”

The girl in question shot up, smacking nose-first into a ruffle of blue hair. She grabbed her nose, as Bra grabbed her forehead, both wincing in pain. “Wh-What’s wrong?” Pan replied, weakly. “Is it the cyborgs again?”

“No, worse.” Bra picked up her phone, displaying the time to her. “We slept in! We were supposed to train with Dad today! He’s gonna kill us!” Pan immediately leapt to her feet, staring in shock at the time. “Come on, we’ve got to go!”

Bra grabbed Pan’s wrist, pulling her along towards the hatch. “W-Wait! What about the--?”

“We’ll clean up later!” Bra replied, pushing the panel open and leaping out, Pan still in tow. The two descended along the side of the building, until they were level with Bra’s window. They scurried inside, taking note of the snow that had gathered on the window sill; they must have left it open by mistake.

They sprinted out of the room, down the hall, to the locker rooms and by extension the gravity chamber. As soon as they pushed open the door, they came face-to-face with Vegeta, just now pulling on his training gear.

“Sorry we’re late!” Bra exclaimed, screeching to a halt. “My phone didn’t go off and--”

“You’re not training today.”

Pan and Bra exchanged worried glances; Vegeta rarely ever refrained from training(and if this were the case, why was he dressed to indicate otherwise?). “We’re uh...We’re not?”

Vegeta shook his head. “I’ve decided to give you two the day off. It’s for the best.”

Bra shuffled her feet. “Erm...why? Is...something the matter?”

“Oh, no, no, nothing is the matter. Just some...business, Trunks and I must attend to. It’s best if you aren’t in the vicinity.” He ruffled Bra’s hair, gave a short glance at Pan, and made for the chamber door. As he stepped inside, Bra caught a glimpse of Trunks, eyes wide and fearful, looking to her as if to say, ‘help me’. She only saw for a moment, however, as the door slammed shut behind their obviously-enraged father.

“...Your dad is freakin’ scary.”

“Tell me about it.” Bra rolled her eyes, sighing. “So, all things considered, we’re probably not gonna get the chamber open for the rest of the day. What do you wanna do?”

Pan shrugged, leaning against the wall. “We could try training outside, but we gotta weigh ‘not going to school because of a cold’ with ‘not training because of a cold’.” Bra hummed in thought, closing her eyes and pursing her lips.

“Why don’t we go looking for the Dragon Balls?” Pan raised her eyebrows, looking at Bra. “I mean, my mom’s got that radar thing, and they grant three wishes, one for each of us plus one extra, so why not?”

“...You’re serious.” Pan stared for another moment, before letting out a brief laugh. “Finding the Dragon Balls in a day, huh? You have any idea how big the Earth is? They could literally be anywhere.”

“Killjoy.” Bra scoffed, crossing her arms. “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘it’s not the destination but the journey that’s important’?”

“Hey, I never said I wasn’t up for it!”

\--

“Mom, me an’ Pan are going out! We’ll be back by supper!” Bra shouted into the lab, she and Pan dressed for the conditions outside.

Bulma looked up from her microscope for a moment, waving jovially to the two. “Okay, dear, just beware of strangers!”

“We will!”

The door shut, silence following. A few moments later, and the door opened again, the pitter-patter of two pairs of feet telling Bulma that they had returned.

“By-the-way-we’re-taking-the-Dragon-Radar-’kay-thanks-love-you-bye!”

The door shut again.

“...Wait what.”

\--

Finally clear of the snowy weather, Bra and Pan touched down in the wastelands, the radar beginning to beep steadily. “Looks like it’s about...20 paces East.” Bra pointed, eyes trained on the blinking dot. They travelled slowly, eyes peeled for the crystal ball of legend. Pan stumbled after about twenty steps, and she knelt down, digging through the dirt until, finally, they were greeted by the lustrous glow of the Four-Star Dragon Ball.

“There, see?” Bra cheered, snatching up the ball and blowing off any residual dust. “Barely an hour and we’ve already found one!” She reached back, allowing it to roll off of her hand and into her satchel. “Let’s see...The next closest one is over to the West, looks to be about a hundred kilometers.”

The two took off again, unaware of just what was taking place at that very moment…

\--

The wind roared, snow blowing around in such a way that any person would be rendered blind by the storm. Metal creaked, and Cyborg ‘A’ stepped into the dilapidated lab; the ruins of what once was Muscle Tower. Behind them followed a larger figure, with shoulder-length, curly blonde hair, missing her left arm, and a large ‘X’ emblazoned on her forehead.

“We have arrived at location: Muscle Tower.” ‘A’ droned. “Welcome home, ‘X’.”

“Yeah, yeah…” ‘X’ replied, looking around. “What a dump. Silver’s really pickin’ at straws here.” She muttered.

“Come.” ‘A’ motioned for her to follow, and the two of them marched across the ruins, climbing down into a hidden bunker of sorts. The catwalk creaked below their feet, yet they carried on, moving down, deeper into the base. They reached a door, and ‘A’ pushed it open, footsteps echoing across the small room. “Colonel, I have returned. Cyborg ‘X’ has been located and brought home.”

“Good, ‘A’.” Silver croaked, voice dry and as creaky as his bones. His once-crimson hair had faded to silvery-white, and agelines surrounded his eyes. “Despite losing ‘C’, and ‘R’ being...unable to accommodate us, it appears as though the plan is coming together nicely…”

“Plan? What plan?” ‘X’ raised an eyebrow, looking between the two as she braced herself, expecting the worst. “‘A’ here said that it was just a reunion!”

“It is. To them, at least.” Silver smirked, knowing full well that the smaller cyborg’s directive prevented them from asking questions. “Don’t fret, ‘X’. There is absolutely nothing to fear.”

‘X’ felt a nervous grin creep onto her cheeks. “See, in my experience, when someone says ‘there’s nothing to fear’, it normally means that there’s a lot to fear…” She stepped back, slowly, backing up into the doorframe. “So, if you don’t mind, I think I’m just gonna--”

 

“Go?” She spun around, having bumped into something, something huge. Before she even had time to cry out, a fist shot out, debris flying as the casing of her head was blown to pieces. ‘B’ retracted his arm, holding her main operating chip in his massive palm. “Sorry, but the party’s just begun, and I hate party poopers.”

‘A’ stared at the still-twitching husk at their partner’s feet. “Must you be so disorganized, ‘B’? I swear one of these days you’re going to accidentally destroy one of our siblings’ operating chips, and when that happens you cannot rely on me to defend you.”

‘B’, however, simply strode over to Silver, handing him to the chip. “Almost got ‘em all, Silver. Now, I just hope you’ll hold up your end of the bargain.”

“Naturally.” Silver chuckled, pocketing the chip and pulling open a nearby drawer, revealing a chrome-blue box. He lifted the lid for but a moment, revealing to the cyborg five crystalline orbs; Dragon Balls.

\--

Vegeta stepped out of the gravity chamber, Trunks slumped over his shoulder. “Oh, stop being so dramatic.” He scoffed, all but tossing his son onto one of the benches. “I gave you a Senzu Bean. Several, in fact.”

“You gave them to me just so we could train again right after…” Trunks groaned, trying to push himself into a sitting position. Having already changed, Vegeta left the room, glancing out the window into the dusk sky. Down below, he could see Pan and Bra trudging towards the front doors, a defeated look upon both their faces. He shrugged it off, making his way downstairs to the kitchen for a drink. As he took a swig from his water bottle, he heard Bra greet her mother in the next room.

“Hi, mom, we’re back!”

“Hey, Bra, Pan. How did the hunt go?”

Vegeta’s ears perked, glancing into the doorway. “Not so well...We only managed to find two of them, even though we went all the way out to Penguin Village…” He stepped closer, leaning to the side to get a better look at the situation. He could see Bra hand Bulma the Dragon Radar, and his brow furrowed, curiosity piqued ever further.

“Here, let me show you something.” Bulma smiled, pressing the button on the top of the radar. “If you want to zoom the map out and get a better look of the world, you just--”

“No, I know that.” Bra shook her head. “We tried everything, but it was only able to detect two of them, one in Basil City and another near Korin’s.”

“Well,” Pan spoke up, “It did start bleeping for a second, but then the signal just...I don’t know, vanished.”

“It vanished?” Bulma put a hand to her chin in thought, before a realization struck her. “...Bra, Pan, listen to me very carefully. Those two Dragon Balls you found? Someone is more likely than not looking for them...Someone dangerous, a man by the name of Silver.”

“Colonel Silver, right?” Pan pointed out. “My dad told me a while ago that he was the guy I fought during that one tournament a few years back. How is he dangerous? My dad said Grandpa beat him years ago!”

“He’s the man in charge of the cyborgs, the ones who attacked you and the others a few months ago.” Bulma explained. “If he’s after them, then he’s going to use every dirty trick in the books to get them.” She reached out. “Bra, give me your bag. We need to hide them.” Without a second thought, Bra handed it over, and Bulma stood. “I’m going to call Gohan and let him know what’s going on. If either of you see Vegeta, tell him I need to talk to him, too.”

“No need, I already heard everything.” The aforementioned ex-prince stepped out of his hiding spot, arms crossed. “And I think that hiding them would be nothing but a waste of time.”

“Vegeta, no. Not now.”

“So what if Silver wants the Dragon Balls? If he’s as tenacious as you assume, then he’s going to find them regardless.” He explained. “If a man sends others to do his dirty work, he’s already lost the fight.”

Bulma scowled. “Need I remind you that the men doing his dirty work easily overpowered not just you, but all of our friends--AT ONCE--as well?”

“Luck, nothing more!” He shouted, his pride clearly bruised by her comment. “Next time will be different.”

“Ugh, you are so thick sometimes! In an ideal situation, there would be no ‘next time’!”

Pan and Bra exchanged glances for the second time in twenty-four hours, and slinked out of the room, carefully, quietly sneaking upstairs. As they continued through the hall, they came across Trunks, limping and holding on to the wall for support.

“Hey, bro.” Bra waved, chuckling inwardly at his situation. “Sore, I take it?”

“Very much so, actually.” He replied, deadpan. “I’m not in the mood for your teasing, Bra.”

She shrugged, pulling Pan past him. “Fine, fine. Have fun with your wall, I’m sure it just loves the heavy petting you’re giving it.” Trunks sputtered in a frenzy, cheeks red as the two walked past him.

“‘Heavy petting’?” Pan scoffed as soon as they were out of earshot. “I’m just concerned how you of all people learned a term like that.”

“...Term?” Bra cocked an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? I just saw he was running his hand along the wall, and since he was leaning he was probably putting a lot of weight on it.”

It was Pan’s turn to blush, quickly looking away to hide it. “O-Oh! Of course! That’s what you meant, obviously!”

“Wait, what do you mean? Does it mean something else?”

“No questions! When you’re older!”

“...We’re the same--”

“When you’re older!!”

\--

Gohan touched down outside of the Capsule Corp. building, making sure that nobody saw him descend; honestly he wasn’t 100% sure how no one outside of the Z-Fighters knew about the less-mundane side of their world, or why it needed to be hidden. He shook his jacket free of any clinging snow, and stamped his boots on the path, before stepping in through the door.

“Good to see you, Gohan!” Bulma called from the door to her office, closing and locking the door behind her. “I know it’s an inconvenience to call you out here like this, but it couldn’t wait until Spring.”

“No, I understand.” He grinned, hanging his jacket on the coat-hooks next to the door. “Besides, if it is Silver looking for the Dragon Balls, it gives me a chance to slap some sense into him for trying to hurt Pan.” He motioned to the duffel bag slung over Bulma’s shoulder. “I’m guessing the two the girls found are in there?”

“You guess correctly.” She nodded, patting the bag. “Without access to the material used to conceal the others, I couldn’t make a perfect replica to completely block out their signals, but it should be good enough to keep Silver away from them until we can think of an alternative.”

“This is a stupid plan.” Vegeta interjected from the side. “Honestly, it surprises me that you were the one who came up with it, Bulma.”

“Well, what do you propose we do? Go scouring the planet to try and find a guy whose power level is about that of an average human and his gang of robots who don’t even have power levels, in the hopes of finding the Dragon Balls and preventing them from making whatever wish it is they’re planning to use them for, which is probably something no bigger than rebuilding the Red Ribbon Army considering how one-track a mind they seem to have?”

“Well, while I can’t argue that hiding them wouldn’t be a bad idea, I do think that their plan is something a bit more complicated than that…” Gohan stroked his chin in thought. “They’re looking for the other cyborgs for some reason, or at least specific ones. I don’t know why or what they’re planning, but if the rest of them are as strong as that big one was...I just hate to think about what might happen.” Bulma handed off the bag, and Gohan waved goodbye as he and Vegeta stepped out of the building and back into the cold night air.

\--

Pan twitched awake, a familiar ki jarring her from her sleep. She pushed herself up, striding over to the window just in time to see Gohan and Vegeta soar away, becoming little more than two streaking lights in the sky. “Dad?”

After a moment, she tiptoed over to her duffel bag, careful not to make too much noise and wake Bra. She shuffled out of her pajamas and into her gi, climbing out the window and making sure to close it again before she left. She hovered for but a moment, before flying after the two elder fighters, keeping her power low to ensure they couldn’t sense her following.

The three flew along for some time, close to an hour, Pan suspected, before finally touching down in the wastelands, sending the smaller dinosaurs scampering away; she was relieved that none of the big ones were near. She concentrated, trying to hear what they were saying as she landed on a nearby plateau.

“So Bulma just wants you to bury them in some remote location in the wastes?” Vegeta scoffed. “If you ask me, they’d be safer where one of us could keep an eye on them.”

“That’s just as risky as well.” Gohan replied, beginning to dig up a small hole in the ground. “If we hid them at one of our homes, Silver would just send a cyborg there. If we kept them on us at all times, they wouldn’t hesitate to attack us, regardless of whether we were in a crowded area or sleeping, or otherwise off-guard or in a place where fighting would be the opposite of ideal.” He dropped the bag into the hole, scooping dirt back over it and making sure it was concealed.

Vegeta sighed, rubbing his eyes in aggravation. “Very well, you two are our star geniuses I suppose…”

“Oh, please, don’t you think ‘genius’ is a bit much?”

The three turned to the source of the voice, and seemingly from nowhere appeared ‘B’, ‘A’ standing right beside him and carrying a strange blue box that none of them had seen before. “After all, what kind of genius flies out to an open, underpopulated location at full power, in order to hide something?!”

‘A’ brought up a radio of sorts to their face. “Colonel Silver, we have located the remaining two Dragon Balls. They are being guarded by Son Gohan and Vegeta. What is our directive?”

“ _Kill ‘em and take the balls, what else?! I’ll be there in about ten minutes, and I want the dragon summoned by the time I get there!_ ”

‘A’ paused for a moment, before blinking and nodding, storing the radio in their pocket. “Apologies. It is as he commands.”

“Oh, no need for apologies!” Vegeta scowled, powering up immediately, his hair spiking upwards and turning golden. “Things will be much different compared to before!”

“Is that a fact?” ‘B’ stepped closer, towering over the two. “Last time, I recall there being a whole bunch of you...What, did they get cold feet and abandon you guys?!”

Gohan powered up as well, his arm twitching in memory. He and Vegeta stood still, waiting for the cyborg to make his next move. “Vegeta, we can’t fight them...Even without sensing their power, that much is obvious.”

“So what’s your plan now?” Vegeta glanced at him. “Run away and hope they don’t look under the visibly-freshly-dug dirt? Yeah, real Grade-A strategy there…”

“Not in the mood for sass, Vegeta.”

‘B’ leapt forward, the ground erupting behind him in a burst of smoke. His fists flew rapidly, forcing the two Saiyans to retreat a few feet. They split up, but to no avail; ‘B’ fired off two separate beams, each one tracking the fighters.

Vegeta swung to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast meant for him. Gohan, meanwhile, reared back a hand, firing an opposing blast at the cyborg. The two attacks collided, dust and debris flying out from the center and obscuring their vision.

Gohan braced himself, arms raised in defense. He listened carefully for movement within the dust cloud, but his efforts were fruitless. As the dust cleared, Gohan ducked; a kick that had been aimed at his head missed by mere centimeters.

‘B’ spun with the momentum of his kick, raising his arm above his head and aiming downwards. Gohan leapt to the side, rolling back onto his feet and firing a ki blast at ‘B’s side. ‘B’ recoiled slightly, his smirk ever-present, and before Gohan could properly react, a beam shot out from the cyborg’s eye, slicing a gash in his gi as he barely managed to sidestep it.

A barrage of ki blasts hailed from the right, Vegeta thrusting his palms forward rapidly. ‘B’ raised an arm, deflecting every single one that came his way. The Saiyan prince let out a cry of frustration, firing one final, much larger blast. ‘B’ reared back a fist, and instead of merely swatting it away, punched it straight back to Vegeta.

Seeing an opportunity, Gohan rushed in behind him, holding him still in a bear hug. “Vegeta, now!”

Vegeta charged in, landing a punch directly to ‘B’s solar plexus. While the cyborg was winded, Gohan swiftly raised him up over his head, suplexing him and driving his head into the ground. The Saiyans quickly backed away, charging separate beams in their palms, before unleashing them on the still-dazed ‘B’.

The clearing exploded in a burst of light, and Pan was forced to shield her eyes from the brightness. She felt the plateau beginning to shake apart, and she quickly leapt to the air to prevent falling with it. The plateau collapsed, much of it crashing into the ground where ‘B’ had last been, burying him underneath. Pan descended, clearly visible to her father and trainer.

“Pan, what are you doing here?!” Gohan asked after the initial shock had passed.

“I sensed your ki as you were leaving Capsule Corp.” She explained. “I was just...y’know...in case you needed backup.”

“You didn’t happen to bring my daughter with you, did you?” Vegeta questioned, arms crossed and glaring.

“No, don’t worry, Bra is still asleep--”

“Hi, dad!” Bra proclaimed, peeking out from behind Pan and nearly startling the older of the two half to death.

The three stared for a moment, before Pan turned back to Vegeta, who was close to seething. “I swear to Dende I did not bring her.”

Before anyone could say another word, the rubble atop ‘B’ shattered, aforementioned cyborg leaping out with both Dragon Balls in hand. He tossed them to ‘A’. “Get moving, ‘A’! Hurry up and summon the dragon or whatever.” He turned to the four, smirking and cracking his knuckles. “I’m gonna have a little fun…”

‘A’ made to escape, only to stop in their tracks as a ki blast scorched the ground in front of them. Piccolo descended in front of them and Uub behind, blocking them from going anywhere. “Must we?” ‘A’ seemed to sigh in exasperation. “This is a fool’s errand.”

“I will not allow you to use the Dragon Balls for evil.” Piccolo scowled, clearly annoyed by the cyborg’s attitude. “Whatever it is that Silver is planning, I will see to it that he does not succeed!”

In the meantime, ‘B’ focused all of his attention on the group of Saiyans, stomping towards them, smirking with confidence. “Alright, call me a party pooper if you want,” Bra glanced at her companions, “but we should probably go all-out right away, shouldn’t we?”

“Seconded.”

“Thirded.”

Gohan and Pan looked to Vegeta, whose teeth were grit in frustration; to use his full strength right away would damage his pride, but he knew that if he screwed around, his daughter might end up...He shook the thought away. “Tch! Whatever! Let’s just get this over with!”

A golden glow filled the clearing, Bra, Gohan, and Vegeta ascending as far as they could. Pan, too, powered up, her ki just about the same size as Bra’s. The four rushed the cyborg simultaneously, throwing a flurry of attacks his way.

‘B’ sidestepped the group, grabbing Vegeta by the arm and smashing him into the ground. Gohan leapt his way, vanishing and reappearing behind him, grappling him in a bear hug. ‘B’ could not be tricked twice, however, and swiftly broke out of his grip, elbowing him in the chest.

The cyborg prepared to fire an energy blast, but Pan flew up behind him, kicking him square in the back and causing him to miss. As he was falling forward, Bra ducked in under him, kicking upwards into his chest and sending him flying through the air.

Gohan leapt up above the cyborg, spiking him downwards, straight for Vegeta. The Prince of Saiyans reared back a fist, jumping up and landing a punch directly to ‘B’s nose. Following through, ‘B’ spun backwards with the force of the blow, somersaulting through the air and plummeting to the dirt.

Meanwhile, Piccolo and Uub had their hands full with ‘A’. The cyborg was almost the exact opposite of ‘B’: nimble, hard to hit, calm. They sidestepped every single one of their attacks, from punches and kicks to Kamehamehas and Makankosappos.

“Come now, I’m telling you that this is pointless.” ‘A’ mumbled, twitching their head to the side to avoid Piccolo’s arm. They tossed on of the Dragon Balls into the air, freeing one of their hands, before grabbing his wrist, swinging him upwards and slamming him into the ground behind them. They reached out, grabbing the Dragon Ball as it plummeted back down.

Uub rushed forward, aiming a punch for their midsection, only to meet thin air; ‘A’ appeared behind him, still calm and collected as ever. Suddenly, they twitched slightly, looking down just in time to see a bright burst of light erupt directly beneath them. They threw their hands up in front of their eyes to shield themselves, dropping the Dragon Balls and allowing Uub to fly over and grab them.

“Like it?” He smirked, pocketing the crystals. “I call it a Spirit Mine.”

‘A’ stood stock still, before turning to Uub, a tiny smile on their lips. “I see...Instead of calling energy to yourself, you call it to a particular spot on the ground. Beneath your own feet, I assume?”

“You got it!” He grinned, proudly. “Sorry for you, though...You won’t know where they are until you’re already on top of them.”

‘A’ glanced from side to side. It was true; they couldn’t sense any energy in the ground at all, beneath Uub or otherwise. They took a step forward, before vanishing from sight as the ground erupted again. They reappeared at the side of the blast site, chuckling softly. “Did you not account for flying?”

Uub scoffed. “I’ll never tell.” ‘A’ shrugged, floating upwards about a foot, before vanishing again, Uub following shortly after.

‘B’, in the meantime, was beginning to be overwhelmed; the four Saiyans had indeed gotten stronger, faster as well. “I’m getting sick of this game!” He cried out, fists clenched in frustration. “Just stand still and die!” He leapt forth, fist aimed for Bra’s midsection.

She dodged to the side, Vegeta appearing behind her and grabbing the cyborg’s fist, swinging him over his head and into the ground. The pair of father and daughter quickly leapt back, allowing the other pair to fire a barrage of ki blasts at ‘B’s crumpled form. As the dust cleared, ‘B’ strode out into view, synthetic skin ripped and torn in several places, his clothing no better.

He glared between the four, before smirking. “Enie...Menie...Minie…” Spinning on his heel, he reared back a fist, before firing an enormous burst of energy at--

A deafening ‘ _crack!_ ’ and bright flash of light forced the group to look away. As the light faded, the four exchanged quick glances. They were all still standing, so who…?

Gohan was the first to notice the smoke cloud in the sky, a purple-clad figure plummeting out from the bottom. He rushed forward immediately, catching Piccolo as he fell. “Piccolo! Are you okay? Hey, wake up!” He listened close, and after a moment, he let out a sigh of relief, a heartbeat clearly audible.

“Dad, LOOK OU--!!”

Gohan lurched forward, eyes going wide before Pan could finish her warning. He looked down, catching sight of the red splattered across Piccolo’s front.

The second thing he noticed was the arm protruding from his chest.

‘B’ retracted his arm, the appendage in question coated crimson in Gohan’s blood. The young man coughed, the same liquid dripping from his lips as he grasped at the newly-formed hole in his lung. He shakily reached into his pocket for a senzu, only for ‘B’ to knock it out of his hands with as little as a flick.

And with that, Son Gohan fell.

The clearing was completely silent, everyone looking on in shock and terror. At last, the silence was shattered by ‘B’s laughter, a deep, booming cackle that shook the plateaus nearby. He turned to the remaining three Saiyans. “Heh...So, which one next?”

Neither Vegeta nor Pan moved; Bra took a step back, trembling. Uub and ‘A’ lowered as well, the former rushing forward and grabbing the senzu bean. If he could get to Gohan fast enough--

But ‘B’ was having none of it. With nothing more than a glare, the ground erupted in front of Uub, reducing Gohan’s body and part of Piccolo’s to dust. “Ah-ah-ah…” He tutted, sneering. “Can’t have any cheating now, can we?”

“Y-You…!” Uub growled, fists clenched around the pair of Dragon Balls he’d taken back. He tossed them past the cyborg faster than he could react, aiming for Vegeta and Pan. Vegeta caught his, but the other flew on, missing Pan by mere centimeters. With his hands now freed, Uub rushed forward, pounding into ‘B’s chest with everything he had.

The cyborg faltered, caught off-guard by his throw, and stumbled back as he was assaulted. He grabbed at Uub’s wrists, only for the young man to kick off from his stomach, taking his arms with him. Now armless, ‘B’ fell on his backside, flying backwards and skidding across the ground as Uub kicked him away.

He followed the cyborg’s path, appearing above him and grabbing his shirt, spinning around in the air and grinding him into the ground, standing on his back. ‘B’ twisted his head slightly, firing an eye beam at Uub, and forcing him to jump back.

“I...HAVE...HAD IT!!” ‘B’ shouted, spittle flying from his lips in rage. “You little shits are going to pay for everything you’ve done to me!”

The group braced themselves, the wind howling and blowing their hair around.

“Hey!” ‘B’ boomed, glaring at Pan. She was facing away from him, staring at the spot where her father had been. “Look up, girl! I’m talking to you, you little brat!”

The others glanced at her, realization dawning on Bra and Vegeta’s faces. Pan’s shoulders twitched, her fists constantly clenching and unclenching. “You…” She growled, voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes. Her twitching had spread from her shoulders to her core, and from her core to her legs.

_It hurts._

_It **hurts**._

_**IT HURTS.** _

Lightning cracked and pulsed, covering the clearing in a bright light. Energy arced across her body, her hair blowing upwards with the wind. “You...are going...to pay for this!!!”

A roar escaped her throat, a burst of blue-gold energy erupting out, Pan at it’s center. The others covered their eyes, raising their arms up to brace themselves against the backdraft. Bra squinted through the light, trying to make out the shape of her friend. Trying to make out her spiky, golden hair. Trying to make out the piercing cyan eyes.

But nothing happened.

Aside from a bluish glow, Pan remained completely the same. Her hair was it’s normal shade of dark brown, her muscles were just the same as ever, and her eyes…No, her eyes had changed.

They were cold, almost lifeless. Devoid of feeling.

In fact, had Pan not turned around to face ‘B’, Bra would have sworn she’d died on her feet. Her movements were sluggish and shaky. Each step appeared to require massive amounts of effort. Her feet dragged.

“Oh, what’s wrong? The little baby wants her daddy back?” ‘B’ mocked, snickering under his breath. “Don’t worry, you’ll be sure to see him, in the next world!” He lunged forward, a war-cry ripping itself from his throat. Bra made to push her away, but there was no need. Pan appeared behind him, back turned.

Before ‘B’ could react, he went flying forward, Pan having barely moved an inch from her spot behind him. Before he even hit the ground, there she was again, kicking him upwards, and again, above, spiking him downward. She plummeted, crushing ‘B’s spine and kicking him so hard that his upper half and lower half separated.

Wordlessly, she strode over to his torso, standing on his neck. She opened her mouth a few times, but appeared unable to find any words. Finally, she settled.

“‘B’...” She raised her arm. “Don’t come back.”

And then, quick as a flash, it was over.

Pan flew backwards, screaming in agony as she landed, doubling over and grasping her left shoulder, blood squelching between her fingers where her arm had once been. A trail of smoke drifted from ‘B’s eye, his lips turned upwards in a sneer. “Gonna be hard to come back when I’m still here, brat.”

Vegeta leapt up, coming down hard and stomping on ‘B’s head, shattering his main control chip. “There. Now, don’t come back.” He turned to ‘A’, who stared on, wordlessly. “Well? Aren’t you going to destroy me, or something? I did just kill your comrade.”

‘A’ seemed to need to consider this for a moment. “...Negative. ‘B’ was always ignoring my warnings. He has received what I believe you organisms refer to as ‘karma’.” ‘A’ outstretched their arm. “Now, the Dragon Ball, if you please.”

“What makes you think we’ll give it to you?” Vegeta scowled, he and the rest of the group getting into stance. “If you haven’t noticed, there are three of us still standing, five if you count Pan and Piccolo when they manage to walk off their wounds.”

“I...don’t think Pan can walk off a severed arm…” Bra’s lower eyelid twitched.

‘A’ glanced to the side; indeed, Piccolo was stirring, pushing himself up and regenerating himself. Pan, on the other hand, remained still, blood pooling beneath her. “You are correct. The situation appears to be...less than ideal for me…” They sighed. “Very well then. It appears ‘that’ power is necessary…”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, staring as ‘A’ closed their eyes, shoulders slouching. A soft hum filled the air, and the group felt themselves being weighed down by some unseen force. Then, to their horror, the Dragon Ball lifted out of Vegeta’s hand, the other that Pan had missed floating up and towards the stationary cyborg.

‘A’ set the blue box on the ground, lid opening to reveal the final five crystal balls. Their eyes opened, and they raised their hands up. “Come forth, Eternal Dragon Shenron! Grant my wish!”

The balls erupted in a blinding golden light, a long, serpentine body winding upwards into the sky. As the glow faded, Shenron floated there, breath booming across the land.

“ _ **You have summoned me, the Eternal Dragon...State your wish…**_ ”

Another, more mechanical hum filled the air, and a pod lowered down nearby. Colonel Silver climbed out, steadily making his way over. ‘A’ bowed their head, the others following, still unable to obey their bodies. “It is done, colonel. What is my directive?”

Silver sneered. “Yeah, yeah, your directive is to stand there and look pretty. Now shut up and let me work.”

“Yessir.”

The old man cleared his throat. “Eternal Dragon! My wish is as follows!”

 _No!_ Bra thought, eyes growing wide. _We have to stop him!_

“Restore my youth!”

Shenron’s eyes glowed, and in moments, Silver began to look younger and younger, wrinkles pulling taut across his skin, his gray hair falling out and regrowing as red as it had been in his prime.

“My second wish--” He held up two fingers. “Bring--”

“Kill Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon!!”

Silver turned to the side, eyes wide in shock; Piccolo was on his feet, teeth grit.

“N-No…’A’, kill the Namek--!”

But the wish had been made. Silver felt his chest tighten, and his eyes rolled up into his head. ‘A’ raised an arm, forcing the others to raise their arms as well, all aimed at Piccolo.

“N-No, wait a--!” Bra cried, feeling the energy build up in her palm.

Before she could finish, a barrage of blasts flew towards the Namek. He retained his usual stoicism however, and as the blasts drew nearer, he smirked, eyes locking with Bra’s.

_It’s okay, Bra...Take care…_

The ground erupted, Piccolo’s body torn apart by the combined powers. He was gone.

Bra’s arm twitched, tears streaming down her cheeks in horror at what she’d been made to do. ‘A’ stood completely still, arm still aimed at the dust cloud where Piccolo had once been. “I...have no directive now…” They droned, eyes slowly widening in realization. “No...directive…”

The group fell down simultaneously, ‘A’s power fading from their bodies. The cyborg in question turned to Shenron. “Shenron, grant my wish, if it is possible.” They locked eyes with the dragon, icy blue meeting piercing red. “Restore Cyborg ‘C’, better known to this world as the cyborg ‘Cell’, to life.”

Shenron’s eyes glowed, and a lightning strike touched down before him. In the scorched mark stood a tall, green-and-black spotted being, two horns protruding from his obsidian-colored dome. Vegeta’s fists clenched as he tried to push himself up, eyes wide in horror.

“ _ **Your wishes have been granted...Farewell!**_ ”

The Dragon Balls floated up as his body disintegrated, before flying outwards in multiple directions. ‘A’ stepped forward, approaching Perfect Cell as he looked around, surveying the battlefield. “Cyborg ‘C’.” ‘A’ greeted. “Welcome back. I am another of Dr. Gero’s creations, Cyborg ‘A’.” They bowed their head slightly. “Nice to meet you.”

Cell felt a smirk tug at his lips. “Ah, yes, ‘A’ of the alpha series, correct?” He glanced to the side, eyes stopping upon Vegeta, who had finally come to his feet. “My, could that be _the_ Prince Vegeta?” He asked in mock surprise. “Graduated from a battle suit to a unitard, I see.”

The Saiyan bit his tongue; even if Cell was only as strong as he was before, he still had the advantage of regeneration, in addition to the same Zenkai Boost that he himself was capable of. It didn’t help that his daughter was there, not to mention a wounded Pan who was only now beginning to stir. If Cell were to attack one of them…

But he didn’t. ‘A’ took another step. “Cyborg ‘C’, Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon Army programmed me with a new set of directives should he perish before he could complete these tasks himself. If you would please, follow me--”

Cell let out a chuckle, nodding. “Very well, I’ll play along.” He glanced to Vegeta, eyes cold as ever. “Count yourself and the rest of these whelps lucky, Vegeta. Next time, things may happen _very_ differently…”

And with that, Cell and ‘A’ vanished.


	6. Caring Enough

It had been weeks since the incident with Cyborgs ‘A’ and ‘B’. Since Gohan and Piccolo had fallen. Shortly after Cell and ‘A’ had absconded, the other Z Fighters had arrived to help, just a few minutes too late. The fallen warriors’ funerals were held over the next couple of days, condolences shared with the remaining Son family.

Pan had remained mostly unresponsive ever since, and even after a month had passed, she had yet to utter a single syllable. She all but refused to get out of bed, both on doctor’s orders as her shoulder healed, and by her own lack of will to do much of anything. The other Z Fighters would visit every so often at first, but the visits had slowed to a trickle, their lives taken up by preparations for Lacus’ arrival. Bra was the only one who would visit every day, and every day Pan would fight not to break down, often to no avail.

Today, however, she had a new visitor. Vegeta strode into the room, Bra looking up from her seat next to Pan, confused. “Dad? What’s up, are we leaving already?” He didn’t answer, and Bra felt a shiver run up her spine as she noticed his expression.

Even though he’d gotten better at hiding it, she could still tell, he was absolutely livid.

“D-Dad? What’s wrong?” Vegeta was in front of them now, eyes trained on Pan; she’d not looked up at him since he entered, head bowed, eyes cast downward pitifully.

“Pathetic.” He snarled. “It’s been a month already, Pan. Are you going to help us train, or are we going to be three fighters down instead of two when Lacus appears?” His jaw twitched, still receiving no response. In a fit of anger, his arm shot out, grabbing her by her shirt collar and forcing her to face him; she averted her eyes regardless. “You runt, get off your ass and do something! Say something!”

“Dad, stop it!” Bra cried, hurrying to the other side of the bed and trying to pry his fingers from the cloth. “This isn’t helping anyone!”

Vegeta’s eyes remained fixed on Pan’s face, on her scrunched up brow, on her pitiful eyes, on her quivering lower lip. “You think you can get out of this just because you’re down an arm? Or could it be because Gohan died?! Suck it up! Gohan had to deal with Kakarot’s death--twice!!” Still, no response. “Say something, you BITCH!”

**_SMAK!!_ **

Pan recoiled as the back of Vegeta’s hand connected with her cheek. Almost immediately, Bra grabbed his arm, pulling him away, and practically tossing him towards the door, a look of rage on her face. “What is _wrong_ with you?!”

Vegeta paused, taken slightly aback both by what he’d done, as well as the sight of his daughter so obviously upset with him. The door swung open, Videl rushing in, Chi-Chi not far behind. Videl looked between the three of them, from the red mark on her daughter’s face, to the look of anger on Bra’s, to the awe-struck look on Vegeta’s. “You better not have done what I think you just did.” Videl scowled, her fists clenching at her sides as she glared at the Saiyan.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, had gone to Pan’s side, looking the welt over, before leaving the room, murmuring about a wet washcloth. Videl and Bra were left glowering at Vegeta, who was left looking back and forth between them. In all this time, he noticed, Pan had yet to respond still, head once more bowed, her bangs obscuring her face.

“I think it’s best if you leave, Vegeta.” Videl’s words were sharp and venomous, her arms crossed in defiance. He scoffed, turning on his heel towards the door.

“No need to tell me twice.” He strode out of the room and down the stairs. Videl and Bra watched as his shadow descended, before the former looked to the latter.

“Erm…” Bra cleared her throat, averting her gaze. “I’m...I’m sorry. I can leave too, if you want.”

Videl breathed out through her nose, holding her forehead in her hand. “No, no, it’s not your fault, Bra.” She stepped over to Pan, sitting next to her and brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Pan? Honey, are you okay?” As had been usual the last few weeks, no response.

Chi-Chi returned, a bowl of water and washcloth in hand. “Videl, please hold this.” She handed her daughter-in-law the bowl, pressing the cloth to Pan’s cheek. As she held it there, she felt Pan twitch under her touch, her shoulders shaking as drops began to fall, marking her bedsheets.

Chi-Chi turned to Bra and Videl. “I’m sorry, but may I have a moment to speak with Pan?” Videl nodded, she and Bra exiting the room and closing the door. Chi-Chi sat down in front of her granddaughter, her free hand clasping Pan’s. “Pan, will you talk to me?” She was still, before shaking her head ever so slightly. “Please, at least look at me.”

It took a moment, but she eventually craned her neck up, eyes visibly puffy and red, a small bit of mucus visible below her nose. Chi-Chi’s grip tightened ever-so-slightly, firm but gentle.

“It’s going to be okay, Pan.” She reassured, and almost immediately, Pan’s shoulders began shaking again.

“It won’t…” She finally spoke, voice raw and shaking. “It won’t be...I wasn’t fast enough...I tried to warn him, b-but, but he...he…!”

“Shh, shh…” Chi-Chi pulled Pan closer, resting her head in the crook of her neck as Pan was wracked with fresh sobs. “You did. You did try. It wasn’t your fault, Pan. That fact is proof enough.”

But Pan continued to shake, hoarse, shivering coughs coming from her throat. “I wasn’t...It wasn’t enough…” Chi-Chi felt Pan’s grip tighten. “I’ve never been angrier, but it...it still wasn’t enough...I couldn’t turn into a Super Saiyan, and I...I’m scared…” Her eyes locked with Chi-Chi’s, horror lingering in the dark brown portals. “I’m...I’m scared...that I d-...didn’t _care_ enough…”

Chi-Chi stroked her granddaughter’s hair, smoothing out the frizzes and tangled bits. She felt herself let out a chuckle, her own eyes becoming damp. “I remember, so many times...I was so worried about Gohan as he was growing up, so worried about your grandfather as well…

“Did Gohan ever tell you about the things he and Goku did? All the battles they fought?” Pan nodded. “There were so many times...So many times when I found myself thinking ‘why did I give up on my training?’, ‘why did I decide to become a housewife?’...So many times when I thought ‘I should be out there helping my son and husband’.” She laughed, a remorseful, nostalgic laugh. “I suppose I gave Goku a hard time too often...I was so preoccupied with labeling myself that I was never really there to properly help them...And Gohan, gods above, I loved him so much…” She cleared her throat. “I was always so scared that he’d get hurt in battle or worse, yet instead of fighting by his side, I stood on the sidelines, and pushed him to pursue a ‘normal’ life, even though deep down, I always knew…”

She stood up. “Wait here.” She left the room for a brief moment, returning with what appeared to be a small cardboard box. She took her seat once more, swiping a bit of dust off of the top. “I used to be a fighter, just like them...It was how I married your grandfather in the first place.” She opened the top of the box, revealing a bundle of white cloth. “Pan, I think...it’s about time that I pass down something to this generation.”

She unfolded the package, revealing to Pan a faded blue and red cheongsam, alongside matching red wristbands and pants.

“This was the last outfit I ever truly fought in. I want you to have it.” Pan opened her mouth to speak, but Chi-Chi stopped her. “Don’t refuse. Please, don’t refuse.” She stood up, smiling at her. “You are Son Pan, a member of the Son family, as well as a Saiyan.” Pan’s shoulders shook again, her breath hitching. “Nothing will change that. You have the blood of Son Goku and Son Gohan in your veins. And I’m certain of it, one day you’ll become a great hero just as they were. And if you don’t,” she placed a hand on Pan’s cheek, wiping away the cascade of tears that had begun falling, “you’ll surpass them.”

\--

It took time, and a lot of it. Pan’s balance was off for several weeks before she could properly hold herself in battle, but as soon as she became accustomed to her situation, she was sparring one-on-one with Bra again, and within months, she was close to regaining her previous skill and strength.

Summer was upon them now, the weather perfect day in and day out, barring the occasional thunderstorm. The Z-Fighters had decided to call it a day, but as expected, Bra and Pan continued to face off against one another, trading blows just as they always had before. The sun continued to dip lower and lower in the sky, the bottom touching the horizon and casting a red glow over Mount Paozu.

The two landed opposite each other, having travelled far as they were both preoccupied reading the other’s movement. “Okay, time.” Pan breathed, straightening up and stretching. “Time, I think I’m done.”

“Same.” Bra laughed, swiping her bangs out of her eyes. She jolted in surprise as a drop landed on her nose, and the two looked skyward. Dark clouds had begun to gather overhead, several more drops falling towards them.

“C’mon, let’s get to my place.” Pan waved for her to follow, and the two took off into the air. Over the mountain peaks they soared, but their vision was soon obscured by the rain, which had picked up quickly. Pan swore under her breath, closing her eyes and trying to sense Videl and Chi-Chi’s ki from their house.

“Pan, move!”

She was pulled out of her focus by Bra’s voice, followed by a flash of light and a deafening crack. The hairs on the back of her neck relaxed, having stood on end without her noticing. Another lightning bolt arced downward, forcing them to veer off-course.

“This is ridiculous!” Pan cried over the roaring thunder. “It was sunny not five minutes ago!”

“You know how summer rains are! You can never--” Bra was silenced by yet another crashing of thunder. “C’mon, let’s wait it out down below!”

The two descended, shoes squelching through the mud and wet grass as they landed. They continued on, the rain picking up as they went. In minutes, they were both drenched, and hurried to one of the caverns dotting the mountains. Pan let out a laugh as they reached shelter, pulling her bangs away from her face. “You good, Bra?”

“Mostly.” Bra shuddered, tugging at the cuffs of her Saiyan training armor. “Wet Saiyan-spandex is _not_ fun…” The two briefly powered up, allowing the energy emanating from their bodies to dry out their clothes.

Pan slid down the wall next to the cave’s entrance, stretching out her arm and legs. Another rumble shook the cavern, briefly drowning out the rain. Bra took a seat next to her, pulling her legs up close to her chest. They sat for a while, watching the downpour outside, mother nature refusing to give them a chance to leave.

“So,” Pan started, “what do you think Silver wanted Cell to be revived for?”

Bra shrugged. “No clue. My dad never really told me any stories about him, Trunks was just a baby at the time, and my mom…” She trailed off. “The only thing she ever mentioned about it was that your grandpa died.”

“You never heard the story?” Pan looked at her, incredulous. “We gotta fix that! Y’see, way back when, after Freeza’d defected to our side…”

\--

Freeza sneezed, jolting awake from his makeshift bed. He groaned, rubbing his eyes with his organic hand; he hated waking up prematurely, he could never quite get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. He pushed himself up, his metal legs creaking with his stride as he made towards the mouth of his cavernous shelter and out into the barren, windy wasteland he’d called home for nearly twenty years now: the Yunzebit Highlands.

He’d heard what had happened from Vegeta during one of their sparring sessions, and for the first time since the Buu fiasco, he’d actually felt something akin to fear. Certainly Cell was weaker than the lot of them, it was his regeneration that worried the fallen emperor.

And what was worse, he could sense Cell’s energy just over the plateaus of his home.

The bio-cyborg was growing stronger every day, his energy shifting in odd ways. Some days, Freeza would feel him as though they were in close proximity, though the source was obviously far away. Other days, his power would seem to fluctuate in repeating highs and lows.

Freeza wasn’t sure what could be causing this, but one thing was certain: Cell wasn’t hiding his energy in the slightest. He wanted them to find him.

\--

“So, wait, he sent your dad out to fight Cell on his own?!” Bra raised an eyebrow, staring at Pan as though she had grown an extra head. “...No offense Pan, but he kinda sounds like a jerk…”

“Not one of his finest moments, I’ll admit…” Pan scratched the back of her neck, sheepishly. “Anyway, Cell realized that he couldn’t get my dad to transform on his own, so he wound up...giving birth? I think? Like...these weird little mini-Cells came out of his butt, or something?”

“Okay that sounds so wrong on so many levels.”

Another thunderous crash from outside, before Pan continued. “Anyway, yeah, turns out those little Cells were really strong, and pretty much kicked everyone’s butts. Cell destroyed one of the other cyborgs, 16 I think, and that’s when my dad transformed.”

“And he destroyed the little Cells and normal Cell tried to blow himself up, right?”

Pan nodded. “Yeah, my gran’pa teleported him away to Otherworld and he blew up there.”

As though trying to emphasize her point, the cavern rumbled once more. But something was different this time. Unlike with thunder, the rumble started out soft, just a slight quivering in the walls, but in moments, it became fiercer, shaking everything so hard that rubble began to fall from the ceiling.

“What’s happening?” Bra called out over the roar, and Pan shrugged, as they both clambered to their feet. They bolted outside as fractures appeared in the mountain walls, and they looked around through the rain rapidly.

Pan jolted in shock, turning her eyes skyward and blinking away the rain. “I’m sensing something! A ki that large...What the hell is that?!” Bra looked up as well, eyes locked on the clouds just as Pan’s were.

Seconds later, a glow appeared, growing larger and larger. Only moments before impact, the two realized that it wasn’t growing at all, but rather plummeting closer and closer to the ground. “What is that? Some kind of meteor?”

“Get down!”

The two dove to the grass, splatting into the fresh mud just as the projectile struck, a massive burst of debris and heat erupting around the crater it left. They lay still for several minutes, waiting to see what would happen, but to their confusion, everything remained still.

The rain began to let up, the dark clouds yet lingering overhead. They pushed themselves up, Pan starting towards the strange object as Bra wrinkled her nose, whining in mild discomfort as she tried to scrape the mud off of her training gear.

Pan stood at the edge of the crater, squinting through the smoke. As it cleared, she could make out a metal orb, a red pane of glass on the front, revealing the silhouette of what appeared to be a person.

Suddenly, the front popped open, and a tall, muscular figure stepped out. She could barely make out his appearance at first, but after a moment, she spotted a head of spiky, jet-black hair, reaching down to the stranger’s upper back. He was wearing armor similar in structure to Bra’s, along with what appeared to be a strange-looking tiara, and wrapped around his waist was some sort of furry, brown belt--no, she realized, a tail.

“I-It’s a Saiyan!” Pan proclaimed, stumbling backwards.

“A Saiyan?” Bra caught her from behind before she fell, and the two watched in awe as the stranger floated out of the crater, landing before them.

Two pairs of eyes met one, and they stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he spoke.

“Excuse me...Is this...Earth?”

Pan gulped, clenching her fist and squaring her shoulders, trying to make herself larger to shield Bra. “Who wants to know?”

The stranger remained silent, before noting her appearance. After a moment of intense staring, his eyebrows relaxed. “Are you...a Saiyan as well?”

“Yeah...Yeah, I’m a Saiyan.”

“Odd...Father only told me of Vegeta surviving the destruction...Though, I suppose he wouldn’t know for certain...”

“There are a bunch left!” Bra interjected. “Vegeta’s my dad, so my brother and I are Saiyans too! So’s Pan’s uncle and--...” She caught herself in mid-sentence, lips tightening.

“Incredible…” He murmured. “I never considered there were so many...”

Pan relaxed her jaw; she realized she’d had her teeth clenched. “Who are you? Why did you come to Earth?”

“So, this _is_ Earth…”

 _DAMMIT._ “Y-Yeah. This is Earth. Who are you?” The stranger looked around, at the mountains, the ground, the sky, then finally back to them.

“My name is...”

\--

The wind roared in Vegeta’s ears as he zipped through the sky towards Mount Paozu. There was no mistake, that massive ki, foreign to Earth, was that of a Saiyan. An incredibly strong one as well. It couldn’t have been Tarble, could it? Had he never met Goku, Vegeta would have instantly guessed otherwise, but he reminded himself of what he’d been told long ago: “ _Even a ‘Reject’ can surpass an ‘Elite’, with enough training._ ”

Goten and Trunks followed close behind, neither of them having a clue who this could be. As massive as the ki was, much of it was still dormant power; as they were right now, that person would be just barely on par with either of them.

They touched down, having spotted the plume of smoke drifting upwards from the crater before them. “Back up!” Vegeta barked, catching the attention of the other three. When none of them made a move, he bared his teeth, starting forward. “What are you, deaf? I said back up!”

“Dad, wait!” Bra called out, stepping between her father and the stranger. “He’s not gonna hurt anyone! He’s nice!”

“Or, at the very least, he hasn’t made the mistake of attacking us thus far.” Pan chimed in.

Vegeta kept his eyes locked on the newcomer. “What have you come here for? If you have a bone to pick with someone, pick it with me and see where it gets you.” The stranger looked him up and down, before turning and stepping towards him. Vegeta swung his arm back, preparing a punch, only to stop himself as the Saiyan halted, kneeling down and bowing.

“My father instructed me to find you, Prince Vegeta. He says that I must protect you...You must not be harmed.” He raised his head, eyes locking with Vegeta’s. “Something terrible has happened...We must prepare for the worst.”

Vegeta stared back for a moment, before straightening up, crossing his arms. “I’m listening.”

“My father and I have been scouring the universe for you for the last five years, after hearing of your survival from the members of a friendly planet...Namek, I think it was called.” He explained. “We were attacked several months ago by a dangerous creature, capable of tearing holes in reality itself. It’s name, I believe, was Lacus.”

The five all visibly stiffened, eyes growing wide. Pan cleared her throat. “L-...Lacus…”

“My father was killed, and I only barely managed to escape. His final words were to find you, Vegeta, and warn and protect you.” He finished, rising to his feet. “We don’t have much time. Lacus will no doubt be after us. We have maybe a few years.”

“A few years?!” Pan cried out, a cold chill running down her spine. “They’re early...Dammit, they’re early!”

“You...are already aware?”

Vegeta sighed. “Trust me, it’s a long story…” He nodded, unfolding his arms. “If you’re going to stick around, you may as well make yourself useful. You’ll be training with us to prepare for Lacus’ arrival. Just in time, too, we lost two fighters earlier this year as it is.”

“Understood.” The stranger nodded.

Vegeta looked to the Saiyan, the two children, and back to him. “Good...Actually, I forgot to ask, what is your name?”

“Right, they asked me before…” The stranger cleared his throat. “Please, my Prince, call me Broly.”

\--

The metal door creaked as a loud banging echoed through the laboratory. ‘A’ approached, pulling it open and adjusting their eyes to the daylight pouring into their darkened base. “May I help you?”

“I’m here to see Cell.”

“I’m sorry, Cyborg ‘C’ is currently unavailable.” ‘A’ made to close the door, but a metal leg caught it before it could shut. “Please remove your leg from the door.”

“I will not.” The door swung open, forcing ‘A’ to take a step back. “I can wait until he is available.”

‘A’s brow furrowed slightly, before they nodded, their neck whirring. “Understood.” As the visitor stepped inside, they shut the door behind them. “It may take some time. Would you like any snacks or drinks?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” ‘A’ bowed their head, obediently; if nothing else, they had at least been programmed with manners.

“Very well. Please, make yourself comfortable, Freeza.”


	7. Realized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Cringe incoming.

“So, Broly, what is your relation with my husband, again?”

Vegeta’s brow twitched, glancing around the table, for some reason nervous over the course the conversation could go. After Broly had explained the situation, the other five had had to come up with a story to tell Bulma, as well as anyone else who should not be in-the-know about the Lacus situation. As far as Bulma knew, they still had almost ten years, as opposed to only a few, and Vegeta intended to keep it that way; no need to worry her.

“We are...brothers.” Broly lied, before catching himself. “Step-brothers, I mean…” He cleared his throat. “We were separated when Planet Vegeta was destroyed.”

“Well, I’m glad you could find each other again!” Gods above, her smile filled Vegeta with guilt, as though he were a child trying to hide soiled sheets. “Vegeta, you should invite Tarble over! It’d be nice to have the whole family here for once!”

“Ah, yes, let me just dial him on his cell phone.” He pretended to press buttons on an invisible phone, raising it to his ear. “‘Hello, Tarble! Our planet will be gone in about a fe--...a decade’s time, would you like to have a barbecue?’...” A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, having come far too close to revealing the truth.

Ignoring his sass, Bulma glanced to the dining room doorway. “Where’s Bra? I could have sworn I called her down a few minutes ago…”

Pan shrugged. “She said that she’d be down in a few minutes. It looked like she was looking through her closet for something.”

As if summoned, Bra came bounding down the stairs. “Sorry, just had a bit of trouble finding the right dress!”

The group at the table all raised their eyes to see Bra, wearing a knee-length red dress, a black belt around her waist and tied into a bow behind her. Her hair had been neatly brushed, held out of her face by a red headband, with a flower clip attached to the leftmost side. Pan felt her heart skip a beat, feeling slightly warm in the face.

“Well? How do I look?” Bra asked, twirling from side to side.

“Pretty!” Pan blurted out, pausing and feeling her face get even warmer, clearing her throat and moving her hand to her face to try and hide her blush. No one seemed to notice her outburst, however, and she felt herself relax.

Bulma grinned, clasping her hands together. “You look good, Bra! What’s the occasion?”

Bra scratched her neck, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “I invited someone over, I hope you don’t mind.” As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and she held up a finger. “Oh! I’ll be right back, that’s him!”

“‘Him’?” Vegeta perked up, watching as his daughter left his view, headed in the direction of the door. “Pan, who’s ‘him’?” Pan shrugged, just as caught off-guard as Vegeta. For a brief moment, she felt a pang of jealousy, but it was gone too quickly for her to properly identify it.

In moments, Bra returned, arms around the bicep of a boy around her and Pan’s age, with spiky black hair that he had obviously attempted to tame, to varying degrees of success. He wore black jeans and sneakers, as well as a white striped shirt under a red vest. Pan instantly recognized him: Dennish, a kid from their PE class.

“Mom, Dad, this is Dennish, he’s from school.” Bra explained. “He’s my boyfriend!” The table was silent for a moment, the information registering in everyone’s mind.

Bulma was the first to chime in. “C-Congratulations, Bra! Just make sure you stay safe, the both of you, you hear?” She felt her brow twitch, wondering inwardly, “ _Kids today sure are starting young…Though, I suppose I’m not much one to talk..._ ” before standing up and heading towards the cabinet. “Here, let me grab you a plate, Dennish!”

Pan felt a sharp throb in her chest, a flicker of anger rippling through her core for just less than a second, before she relaxed, confused at her sudden inward dilemma. Feigning a confident smirk, she glanced at Dennish. “Better treat her right, Dennish, else I might have to kick your aaaaabutt.” She caught herself, earning a sharp ‘I-Know-What-You-Were-Going-To-Say’ look from Bulma.

Broly stared in confusion, before glancing back down at his plate, poking at the carrot kinpira.

Vegeta remained silent, and Pan turned to look at him, surprised that there had been no outburst--oh dear. Vegeta’s brow was somewhere between neutral and furrowed, his eyes locked on Dennish, elbows on the table and hands interlocking in front of his face, just under his nose. She could see his nostrils repeatedly flaring, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

He was livid.

“Here, let me get your chair!” Dennish offered, sliding out a chair for Bra to sit down. He reached for the chair next to her, only to stop as Vegeta cleared his throat.

“Broly.” He glanced to the seat next to him, where the aforementioned Saiyan sat. “Please take the seat at the other end of the table.” Broly nodded, picking up his plate and utensils and standing behind Dennish. “Boy.” Vegeta cleared his throat once more, motioning to the now-vacant seat. “Sit.”

Nervously, Dennish did as he was told, taking his seat at the same time as Broly. Bulma had returned, setting down a plate and serving him a meal of his own. “Thank you Mrs. Briefs, it looks great!”

“Oh, you!” She chuckled, taking her seat next to Vegeta.

The table fell into an uncomfortable silence, the only noises being from the plates and utensils as they ate. Bulma found herself glancing between Vegeta and Bra, the former of whom seemed to be intently glaring at the young boy from the corner of his eye, and the latter of whom seemed to be oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation.

“H-hm…” Pan feigned a cough, breaking the painful silence. “So, Bra, how long have you two been, ah…”

“We just started!” She explained. “He asked me during PE last week if I wanted to be his girlfriend, and I said sure!”

Dennish pulled on his collar, feeling Vegeta’s death glare on him. Trying to lighten the mood, he turned to face him, his breath catching in his chest as their eyes momentarily locked. “Erm, so, um...Mr. Briefs--”

“Oh, no need for fatalities.” He waved away the title.

“Formalities, you mean.” Bulma corrected.

“Eh, po-tay-to, po-tah-to.” He glanced back at Dennish. “Please, just call me Vegeta.”

“S-Sure thing, Vegeta--”

“MISTER Vegeta.”

“M-Mr. Vegeta!” Dennish corrected himself. “Ehm...So, Bra’s told me that your wife works here at Capsule Corporation. Are you a scientist as well, or…?”

“He’s a martial artist!” Bra interjected. “When it comes to the company, he just tests out new tech my mom makes related to fighting.”

“Oh! A martial artist!” Dennish’s face lit up. “I’m one as well, my grandfather owns a school over in Parsley City!” Vegeta felt his brow twitch at the lightened mood. “Maybe we could train together sometime! Did you go to a school around here?”

“As a matter of fact, no.” He replied. “My ‘school’ was very far away. You could say I’m practically an ‘alien’.”

Dennish stared in confusion, before Bra once again spoke up. “He’s from Jingle Village.” She looked around him, eyeing her father suspiciously. “ _Right_ , dad?”

Vegeta returned her look, offering only a simple “Hm.” in response.

\--

About an hour later, dinner had been finished, and Dennish had helped to clean up, earning a smile and word of thanks from Bulma. As he left the dining room, hand in hand with Bra, and Pan not far behind, he halted in his tracks, having bumped face-first into Vegeta, who had been standing next to the doorway, obviously waiting for them.

“Ah! M-Mister Vegeta, I...I thought you’d gone to train.”

Vegeta looked between him and Bra, arms crossed, before nodding. “Alright, I’ve made my decision.” He lowered his hands between the two, gently shoving Bra to his left, and Dennish to his right, with a significantly rougher shove. “Bra, you are forbidden to date,” Bra opened her mouth to protest, “anyone who cannot best me in battle.”

The four stood in silence for a few seconds, before Pan raised her hand in an attempt to calm him down. “I don’t know, Vegeta, that...doesn’t really seem fair--”

“I’ll talk with you in a moment, Pan.” He barked, and she pursed her lips, clearly peeved. “So? How about it, boy? Do you think you can beat me? If you’re too scared, you can forget about dating my daughter!”

They stood in a stunned silence once more, before Dennish bowed his head, fists clenched. “Sir, with all due respect, I know I can’t beat you.” Vegeta smirked, before he continued. “But I’m going to train hard until the day I can!” Vegeta’s smirk vanished as he turned to Bra. “Please wait, Bra. I’m going to get stronger, so please wait for me!”

Bra felt her cheeks heat up, and she giggled inwardly, waving him away. “Patience isn’t my strong suit, but I’ll try!” She took his hand again, leading him past Vegeta to the door. “Come on, I’ll walk with you to your place.”

The door shut behind them, the two engaging in conversation right away as they started down the path towards the street. Pan turned away from the door, catching Vegeta’s sight. “Anyways, like I was saying, that’s not very fair, Vegeta. You know he’s never gonna do it! Even if he did surpass the average human, he’s gotta surpass the rest of us, first. Krillin, Tenshinhan, etcetera. You just sent that guy on a wild goose chase, and Bra knows it.”

“Perhaps. But, remember, I said that anyone who could best me in battle would be worthy of her hand.” He glanced at her. “If I were you, I’d start training just as hard.”

Pan cocked her head to the side, scratching her neck in confusion. “I...don’t follow.”

“You don’t need to lie to me, Pan.” Vegeta placed a hand on her shoulder. “Even if you’re not worthy right now, I at least like and trust you enough to know you’d treat her right.” She scrunched up her face, trying to piece together what he was saying, before her eyes widened in realization.

She slapped his hand off of her shoulder, cheeks bright red, obviously flustered. “WHOA, whoa whoa whoawhoawhoawhoa. I think there’s some mixed signals here, Vegeta!” She cried, defensively. “Bra’s just my friend!”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you positive? I’ve seen the way you act around her. The way you light up when she’s near. I guess I’m not much of a romantic myself, but after the first several hundred romcoms Bulma has sat me through, I feel as though I’d pick up on this kind of thing.”

Pan laughed, straightening her hair. “You got it wrong! Bra’s just my friend.” She paused, clearing her throat. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty, and she’s nice, and...whenever she’s around I just feel...I don’t know, warm, I guess?” Her nervous smile began to fade with each point. “I-I wouldn’t mind spending more time with her, a-and I guess if she said she liked me I wouldn’t refuse, per se…” Her grin was completely gone now, eyes wide. “A-And, I’d be fine with hugging her, and sleeping in her bed, and k--...” She trailed off, realization after realization striking her brain: “ _So that’s what that was_ ”.

“Oh.”

She looked back up at Vegeta, eyes still wide in comprehension.

“Oh...”

“...You’re not very in-tune with your feelings, are you?”

“Coming from the guy who gets all his dating advice from romcoms…”

Vegeta snickered, patting her head, only for her to swat his hand away, trying to straighten it again. “My offer still stands, Pan. Should you choose to pursue these feelings, I’d have no objections, so long as you are capable of beating me in a fight. She is a princess after all, and I’d prefer to keep the Saiyan bloodline alive.”

Pan twitched, fists clenching, eyes turning stony as she glared up at him. “Vegeta, you _bastard_.” She raised her head to face him fully, her expression catching him off-guard. “Do you even remember who you’re talking to? I’m only a quarter-Saiyan myself; practically human, like Dennish.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “Second, who are either of us to decide who Bra can and can’t date? How could you even think I’d be okay with that?!”

He stared at her, surprised. “What are you saying? You’re just going to fall out of love with her?”

She paused, averting her eyes down. “I don’t...know.” She sighed. “It can’t just be that easy, but...I can’t be in control of her life. Neither can you. She’ll choose whoever she chooses, and if she chooses me, she chooses me. If she chooses Dennish, she chooses him.” She caught a glimpse of Bra outside of the window, returning from walking Dennish home. “Listen. If you continue down this path, you’ll just wind up pushing her away. Please, don’t do that to her.”

They stood in silence for a moment, before they heard the door swing open, followed by Bra’s cheerful, “I’m home!” She practically glided past them, obliviously tugging on Pan’s sleeve as she started up the stairs. “C’mon, Pan! Let’s go up to my room!”

“Oh, uh, yeah, in a minute.” Pan waved as she continued up, still on cloud nine. She turned back to Vegeta. “Look, just...give what I said a thought. I know you mean well, but even the best intentions can end in awful circumstances.” Her expression turned stony again. “And if you hurt her like that, I’ll do more than just beat you in a fight. I’ll _demolish_ you.”

\--

‘A’ supposed this would have been what humans described as ‘awkward’. They sat across from Freeza, watching him intently and earning a perturbed look in return. The two sat in silence, Cell’s energy pulsating beneath them. ‘A’ couldn’t just tell Freeza what Colonel Silver’s plan had been, as it was against protocol, though perhaps Freeza seeing for himself would suit their needs well.

Speaking of whom, Freeza stood up, his metal legs creaking. “This is getting ridiculous.” He sneered, glaring at the cyborg. “We have been waiting here for several hours. When will Cell be ‘ready’ to see me?”

‘A’ stared, as though processing the information. “Estimated time: two minutes.”

Freeza’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh. Well, I suppose that’s not so bad--”

“Three minutes...”

“...Pardon?”

“One minute...Forty seconds...Two minutes...”

“Stop that.”

“Four minutes…”

“Stop. That.”

“Three minutes...Two minutes…” They stalled for a moment, left eye twitching slightly. And after a moment, they continued, “Twenty seconds…”

Freeza let out a groan of frustration, holding his forehead in exasperation. “You really are defunct, aren’t you?”

“...Two minutes.”

“ENOUGH!” Freeza cried out, lunging forth and punching ‘A’ directly on one of their spotted cheeks, sending their head spinning a whole one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. They were silent for a moment, before their neck whirred, their head spinning back into place.

“...Thirty minutes.”

‘A’ had never felt the human emotion ‘joy’ before, but they guessed that the fuzzy feeling in their chest as Freeza screamed in agony was close enough. It felt nice.

\--

Marron let out a sigh, closing her textbook and setting it aside. Her professor (who also served as her mentor at her internship) had given her a fairly simple assignment: go through the next chapter of the class’s textbook and mark down any inconsistencies, be they outdated hypotheses, misinformation due to the time period the text was written, and so on. She glanced at the clock, a large, red 12:30 blinking on the screen, and she shifted off of her bed, heading over to her lamp and reaching for the switch to turn it off.

Suddenly, a loud buzz caught her attention; her phone was vibrating on the shelf next to her. She looked at the screen, recognizing Pan’s number, and smiled, quickly swiping the screen to answer.

“Pan? Hi, how are you?”

From the other end, she could hear a strange noise, like someone trying to breathe in through a stuffy nose. “Erm, hi, Marron. Hey, I’m, ah...I’m sorry for calling so late. Do you think I could come by? I...I need help.”

“Yeah, of course.” Marron replied, concern taking hold. “Pan, are you okay? You sound like you were--” A _click!_ told her that Pan had hung up already, and she looked down at her phone, watching as the screen went black.

About twenty minutes passed, before a short rapping sound drew her attention to her window. She drew the curtains, opening the window and allowing Pan to come in. She couldn’t tell at first, but as Pan raised her head, she saw light glinting off of her cheeks.

“Pan? Why didn’t you use the door?”

She rubbed at her face, quickly drying her tears, before turning to fully face Marron. “Oh, no reason, I just...y’know…” Unable to think of a lie quick enough, she instead sighed, scratching her neck. “I...didn’t want your mom and dad to ask any questions.”

Marron stared at her for a few seconds. “Uhm...you...know they can sense your energy, right?”

Pan returned her stare, mouth opening and closing like a fish’s as she tried to find reason, before she gave up, holding her head. “Dammit, I knew that, how the hell did I forget that…”

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looking up, she saw Marron, concern reflecting in her eyes. “Pan, what happened? Do you need to talk about something?” She paused, her grip tightening enough to offer comfort, but not enough to actually hurt. “Is it about your dad...?”

“No, no, I…” Pan cleared her throat. “I’m not...here, about what happened to my dad…” She adjusted her empty pajama shirt sleeve, averting her gaze. “I kind of realized something, earlier tonight. Or, more accurately, Vegeta made me realize something. I just need to talk.”

“And you can’t talk to Bra?” Pan shook her head furiously, eyes wide in panic. “I see...Okay then, go ahead, shoot.”

Pan felt her knees go weak, her whole body felt cold and warm at the same time, like she had a fever. “I’m, uh...I’m…” ‘ _In love with Bra, In love with Bra_ ’ her mind echoed, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it right away. “I’m in love...w-with Bra.”

Marron stared, deadpan. “...Wait you mean you just figured that out?”

“What do you mean ‘just figured it out’?!” Pan almost shouted, before reminding herself that she was a guest in someone else’s home -- at one in the morning, no less. “Did you know?”

“Pan, I got some news for you.” She grinned patiently. “You’re not very good at hiding your emotions. We all knew.”

The younger girl felt her knees buckle, falling onto the bed behind her in shock. “You’re kidding…” She held her face in her hand. “ _Everyone_ knew?”

“Well, most everyone but Bra, I think.” Marron explained. “She’s not that great at picking up on these things...Or very many things in general.” She took a seat next to Pan. “It’s okay, Pan. I’m sure Bra will understand if you just tell her--”

“I can’t.” Pan sighed, staring down at the floor. “She brought home her b--” The word caught in her throat, “--boyfriend, tonight.”

“Oh.” Marron uttered, surprised. “...Ohh…”

“Yeah. ‘Oh’.” Pan murmured. “She’s hardly talked about anyone but him since she took him home. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad for her, and I even told Vegeta off for suggesting I try to get between them, but…”

“Wait, Vegeta did what?”

Pan twitched, a look of self-disgust crossing her features. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Marron took a breath, brushing aside her anger. “No, it’s fine. You did the right thing.” She paused. “You’re having regrets then, I’m guessing?”

“Kinda?” Pan shrugged. “I feel like if I’d known before, maybe...maybe things would’ve turned out differently.”

“That’s natural, I suppose.” Marron nodded, gently rubbing her shoulder. “Is there anything I can get you? Some water, or juice, or…?” She trailed off, leaving a space for Pan to interject.

Pan looked up at her. “No, I...I’m fine. I think I just needed to get this off my chest.” She leaned forward to stand, pausing. “Marron...Do you think I’m a bad person for,” she took a breath, “for thinking that...maybe I should’ve considered Vegeta’s offer?”

Marron stood as well. “I don’t. You refused because you knew it was wrong. You did the right thing.” She rubbed her shoulder again. “Just make sure it stays that way, okay?” Pan glanced back, earning a patient smile and giving one of gratitude in return, nodding.

“Thanks.” She stepped towards the window, pushing aside the curtains. “Sorry again, Marron. Good night.” Marron waved as she pushed off of the sill, rising higher and higher until she was just a dot against the night sky. Marron lowered the window, leaving it open just a crack, before reaching towards her lamp, switching it off and lifting the covers on her bed, climbing under.

\--

Freeza felt an ache in his prosthetic limbs, nerves flaring as he and ‘A’ descended, the dark stairway illuminated by ‘A’s icy-blue eyes. He could feel it, they were getting closer and closer to wherever Cell was.

They approached a door, a flickering light casting strange shadows into the stairway. Freeza braced himself as ‘A’ opened the door, leading him inside. “Cyborg ‘C’, Freeza has come to see you.”

In the center of the room was Cell, suspended by wires, cables and tubing plugged into his body. On his chest, Freeza saw a pair of odd, flat computer chips, slowly but surely being absorbed by his pectorals. Cell descended, unplugging himself and approaching Freeza.

“Good to see you,  _ Emperor _ .” Freeza’s fist clenched, not amused by his mocking mannerisms. “Let me guess, you’ve come here seeking an alliance. You know you can’t defeat me, and you’d much rather be on the ‘winning team’ as it were.”

Freeza swallowed his pride. “That is correct. I would like to combine forces. Together, annihilating this pitiful ball of rock would be child’s play. You may have all the time you need in order to make up your mind--”

“No need.” Cell interrupted, crossing his arms. “I accept your offer. Combine forces, we shall.” It was then that Freeza picked up on a soft whirring sound, but he looked up just a moment too late.

He let out a cry of horror as his body was constricted, being pulled down, down, down the gullet that was Cell’s tail. He writhed and struggled, his strength quickly being sapped and transferred to Cell.

And then, everything went black.

\--

Pan lowered, having finally arrived back at Capsule Corp. Just as she swung a leg over the window sill to sneak back in, her spine stiffened, her head banging against the frame as a massive energy spike shook her to her core.

From her bed, Bra jolted awake, eyes wide as she looked around wildly, the fact that Pan was sat in her window frame not registering. “What? What’s happening? What’s going on?!” She threw off her covers, stepping over the futon Pan had been claiming. “Pan, you felt that just now, right?”

“Trust me,” Pan groaned, gripping the top of her head, “I’m gonna be feeling that for a while.”

“It felt like someone really powerful just...vanished, but someone else powered up.” Bra looked past her friend and out the window. Pan followed her gaze, sensing the pulsating power level. “You...You don’t think it’s Cell, or,” she paused, gulping, “Lacus, do you?”

Pan couldn’t answer.

\--

“Incredible...How good it feels to have a soul in me again…” ‘A’ stood, motionless, processing the creature before them. Green had been replaced with purple, vertical lines drawing themselves from a pair of red eyes to a yellow chinstrap. They had been correct: introducing Freeza’s power to Cell’s had indeed worked in their favor.

“Sensors indicate a two-hundred-and-fifty-percent increase in overall energy. Power level is now approximated to be fifty-billion at maximum.” ‘A’ recited the statistics. “Congratulations, Cyborg ‘C’. Please reconnect to the apparatus Colonel Silver has provided in order to complete augmentation procedure.”

Cell glanced at them, smirking. “What for? You said it yourself, my power has seen a dramatic increase. Even if someone were to be more powerful, my Zenkai Boost would surely be enough to tip the scales back in my favor.”

‘A’ paused, processing the information. “Colonel Silver’s orders were to complete your power augmentation procedure. Please do not resist.”

Cell glared at them, no longer amused. “Have you forgotten who you are talking to? I believe I’ve been more than kind enough to humor you thus far. I am in charge from here on out, understand?”

Silence, and then, “Negative. Directive is clear: Cyborg ‘C’ is to complete power augmentation procedure by any means necessary.” Cell made a move towards the door, only for ‘A’ to step in front of him.

“Move, ‘A’.”

“I’m sorry, Cyborg ‘C’.” ‘A’ droned. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” The two stared at one another for several seconds, red eyes meeting cyan. “You have already absorbed four of the twenty-six operating chips. I am sure the remaining twenty-two will--” They stopped, as though processing something. “...Warning: Several energy signals rapidly approaching.”

“Oh?” Cell smirked, picking up on the signals as well. “Perfect timing. Let’s see just how much this new body can handle, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cringe is real and hopefully this is the last we'll see of it for some time.


	8. Farewell

The door creaked open, Cell and ‘A’ stepping out into the roaring winds of the highlands and catching sight of the Z-Fighters gathered before them: Vegeta and his brats, Eighteen, the bald one, and their own brat, Gohan’s whelp, and a surprisingly new face ala Broly.

“Welcome!” Cell announced, mockingly. “Care to come in? Tea and biscuits all around!”

None of them were amused, serving only to widen Cell’s grin. Vegeta opened his mouth, about to say something, before Pan stepped forward, stopping halfway between her friends and the cyborgs. They stared off for a few moments, before Pan raised her arm, pointing backwards.

“You missed one.”

Cell’s smirk vanished, replaced with a look of confusion. Likewise, the rest of the Z-Fighters looked on, just as confounded. “Pardon?”

“Broly’s a Saiyan. Freeza missed another one.” Pan explained, going on much to Cell’s chagrin. “And, since he’s a part of you now, I just thought I’d make it clear how baffled I am over how inconsistent you are at what you consider your specialty.”

He felt something bubbling deep within, and he scowled, glaring daggers at her. “Honestly, who would be surprised? Saiyans were constantly on and off the planet, naturally there’d be a few who’d have escaped by chance.”

“Namek.” Pan mentioned, earning a twitch and a grimace. “Kinda failed then, too. Heck, Cell couldn’t even handle wiping out Earth, so that’s another strike.”

“What is she doing?” Bra whispered to Vegeta, panic on her face. “She’s just making him more angry!”

“Precisely.” Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms. “When Cell fought Gohan, it didn’t take much to get him riled up. Once that happened, it was child’s play to beat him down. No doubt Pan is trying to make him easier for all of us to take out at once.”

“Are you quite done?” Cell glowered, fists clenched.

Pan simply stared at him, before shrugging. “Just sayin’, Buu managed it.”

Thus, that straw broke Cell’s back, and he rushed forward, aiming a punch for the child’s head. She sidestepped it, kicking him in the side and sending him skidding across the dirt a few meters. Vegeta appeared above him, raising his arm high and bringing it down on Cell’s neck, forcing him face-first into the ground.

Cell vanished, landing a kick to Vegeta’s side from behind and sending him flying into the doorway to the laboratory. Bra rushed in, punches flying wildly as Cell raised his arms to block them. Pan joined her, the two of them quickly breaking his guard and landing blows to his chest and stomach, forcing him backwards.

They ceased their assault momentarily, watching as the dents in Cell’s body filled back in, and in moments, he stood before them, completely unharmed. He raised a hand, a burst of energy erupting from his palm and knocking the two off their feet. A whizzing sound filled the air, and his arm split in twain, a Kienzan spinning wildly past him. It whirled back around towards him, just as another came at him from the opposite side.

He sprung upwards, the two discs clashing with each other and forming one even larger one. As he continued upwards, he felt a blow to the back of his head; Vegeta had recovered, going Super Saiyan, no less. The discs cut him in half right down the middle, only for him to reform on the other side. Vegeta dodged to the side as the discs continued upward, soaring down after the cyborg.

Pan and Bra leapt up at him, fists raised, only for Cell to swing his lower body around, placing himself behind them and grabbing them by their heads. He flipped around, driving them both face-first into the dirt. He smirked, kicking outward and catching Vegeta by surprise. He spun on his heel, grabbing Vegeta by the collar and throwing him down into the kids.

Suddenly, he lurched forward as a ki blast hit him in the back. He craned his neck around, catching sight of Uub descending towards them. Cell smirked, vanishing from sight and appearing in front of him, feinting a punch with his left before striking Uub’s temple with his right. Uub stumbled, before spinning with his momentum and landing a roundhouse to Cell’s cheek.

Cell recoiled from the blow, before snapping back and throwing a fist aimed at Uub’s side. He vanished, reappearing behind Cell and landing a barrage of kicks to the small of his back. Cell fell forward, rolling back onto his feet and facing Uub again. Suddenly, he struck out with his left, elbowing Pan in the face as she attempted to catch him off-guard. As she was dazed, Cell grabbed her by the front of her cheongsam, spinning her over his shoulder and throwing her into Uub.

Bra appeared in front of him, landing a punch to his gut, only for Cell to grab her by the face, lifting her off the ground and throwing her skyward. Trunks tried to follow up from behind, only for Cell to vanish, kicking Bra back down into him.

Krillin and Eighteen rushed forward, striking him simultaneously. He grabbed them both by the head, knocking them together and letting them fall. As soon as they were down, however, he noticed another Kienzan flying towards him from behind them, Marron standing there with a smirk on her face. He tried to jump away, only for Krillin and Eighteen to each grab a leg, holding him in place as it bisected him.

“Fools! I’ll just--!”

But before he could reform his lower half, he felt a sharp pain shoot up through his core, as though he’d been stabbed. Indeed, Pan had drawn the power pole, extending it until it had become lodged in Cell’s wound, blocking him from regenerating. With a shout, she swung it over her head, slamming him into the ground with a sickening  _ crunch! _ .

A low whine filled the air, and Cell glanced just in time to see Uub, charging a Kamehameha, aimed directly at him. Before he could even cry out, the blast was fired, the massive wave overtaking both his lower and upper halves in less than a second.

Uub released the breath he’d been holding as his attack dissipated, appearing as a small glint of light on the horizon before finally fading from sight. As the smoke cleared from the spot where Cell once lay, the group braced themselves, preparing for the worst. To their relief, the only thing remaining was a scorch mark, not a trace of the cyborg was left.

“Now,” Vegeta straightened up, glaring at ‘A’, “to take out the rest of the scrap.”

‘A’ stood still, aloof as ever. “Have you forgotten?” They raised a hand, holding the group in place. “You cannot touch me. We can stay here forever, if you so desired.” There was a small tug at the corner of their lips. “Well, ‘forever’ may be a bit generous. At least until you all starve or die of thirst.”

“Or,” ‘A’ craned their neck around, just in time for the kick to knock them over, their head spinning wildly as Goten landed, “you get caught off-guard like the dip you are!”

The power over the other fighters vanished, and Trunks hurried over. With little more than a flick of the wrist and a bend, the two fused, Gotenks now standing in their place. ‘A’ pushed themselves up, their head clicking back into place as their eyes rolled loosely in their sockets. They wobbled a bit as they stood, their ruined eyesight throwing them more than a little off their balance. “Ocular units disengaged.” They droned. “Repairs required. Initiating energy-reading signatures.”

Thinking fast, Uub raised his hands, propelling a few ki blasts forward slowly. As intended, ‘A’ became confused, twitching as their energy readings continued to pick up more and more signals as Uub expelled more and more ki.

“Error.” ‘A’s ears began to leak steam, their neck and head convulsing as their senses overloaded. “Ce-se-- _ bzzrt! _ \--d-si-t-- _ crakl! _ ” Their voice began to break and whine, skipping and cutting out. “Sys-em ma-f-nct-on im--n-nt. Sh-t-ing dow-.” ‘A’ fell over, eyes going dark as they rolled around. They landed with a soft  _ thud! _ , steam lifting off of their head, their cheeks blinking red.

The group relaxed, glad to finally be rid of the monotone menace. Bra stepped over, cautiously, tentatively poking their head. When she received no response, a remorseful look crossed her features. “Poor thing. I feel kinda bad for them.”

“I wouldn’t waste the effort.” Uub replied, glancing warily at the smoking husk. “That thing was just a puppet. All it could ever do was follow its directives.” He sighed, surveying the landscape of their short skirmish. “It’s funny. I honestly thought that’d have lasted longer.”

“Oh, no worries.”

It happened in the blink of an eye. A burst of gold, a spatter of red, and Pan was on the ground, a hole blown through her diaphragm, hacking and wheezing as blood propelled itself from between her teeth.

“PAN!” Bra cried out in horror, rushing to her side. Before she could make it, however, Cell was in front of her, arm outstretched and aimed directly at her head. She raised her arms just in time as he blasted her away, slamming her against one of the many mountains surrounding them.

Cell turned to look at the rest of the group, smirking. “I’m not as easy to defeat as I was before.” He glanced down at Pan, malice reflected in his crimson eyes. “Consider that payback, girl. Both for your taunting, as well as for your father showing me up all those years ago.” He reared back a leg, kicking her out of the way.

Pan coughed, more blood dribbling down her chin as she bled out. Her vision was getting fuzzy, darker, darker still. She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She tried to move, but her limbs all felt like lead.

The cyborg advanced towards the group, drinking in the horror on their faces with glee. “Well? Aren’t you going to stop me? Or perhaps you’d like to give her one of those stupid beans you’re always toting around?” Uub clenched his fist, the small satchel hidden away. “Well, perhaps I should give you more credit. It would be suicide to try and revive her with one while I’m in the way.”

Marron rushed forward, a war-cry ripping itself from her throat as she aimed a punch for Cell’s face. He caught her fist -- twisting it, twisting, twisting, sickening popping sounds breaking through the roar of the windy highlands -- before tossing her to the side, her arm twisted and bent at an odd angle.

Krillin and Eighteen followed through, attacking him with all their might, rage coursing through them both. Cell was only momentarily caught off his guard, scoffing as they forced him back a step or two. He threw his arms out to the sides, an explosive wave knocking them both back, before he lunged forward, grabbing Krillin by the front of his gi and throwing him into Eighteen.

Vegeta came next, feinting a punch to Cell’s midsection, before grabbing his arms and spinning around, throwing him towards Gotenks, who in turn kicked him towards Uub. Cell spun around, landing behind Uub and sweeping his leg low, trying to knock Uub off of his feet. He couldn’t be fooled, however, and instead Cell found himself face-first in the dirt, Uub having backflipped over his kick and landing one of his own to Cell’s obsidian dome.

Suddenly, a loud  _ crack! _ jolted everyone from their fight, a golden glow casting itself over the highlands.

Bra stood, hair spiked upwards more than ever, lightning arcing across her body, a death glare aimed at Cell. With a roar of fury, she charged towards him, socking him first in the face, followed by a kick to the back of his neck, lodging him into the ground and unleashing a shockwave that threatened to tear the mountain apart.

Cell vanished from beneath her boot, reappearing at her side and swinging a fist for her cheek. He smirked as it connected, only to falter in shock as Bra turned against the blow, glare unwavering. She grabbed his wrist, pulling with so much force that the appendage was torn from its socket.

He fell over, stunned as Bra swung around, smacking him in the face with his own arm. Not missing a beat, she vanished, appearing beneath him just as he was about to land and kicking up into his chest with enough force to dent his upper back. As he was propelled up, he felt another blow to his back, forcing him back down and into a fresh Cell-shaped crater.

With a shout, the crater erupted, forcing everyone to cover their faces -- everyone but Bra, the debris disintegrating as it came near her. “You little upstart brat!” He barked, eyes trained on Bra. “Fine, if that’s how you want it -- I’ll kill your precious Daddy next--!”

His words became little more than a gurgle as Bra appeared before him, her punch completely shattering his upper jaw and head. He fell, only to vanish, reappearing off to the side, regenerating.

“Cell,” Bra snarled, taking stance as her ki exploded around her, “I won’t forgive you for what you did to Pan! The only one dying today is you!”

In a flash, the two collided, trading blows faster than the average human could process. The rest of the group was forced to take cover, the shockwaves shattering the very mountains around them. “Dammit, this isn’t good…” Uub muttered, poking his head out and surveying the battlefield. “I’m sure Bra wanted me to get a Senzu to Pan while she distracted him, but I can’t see her!” He glanced back at the the other three who had joined his spot: Krillin, Eighteen, and Marron. “Try and spot her, each of you!”

He reached into his pocket, handing them each a Senzu. “I’m going to try and charge a Spirit Bomb. If any of you find Pan, give her one and get her to cover as fast as you can. It might heal her, but she’ll still have lost a lot of blood.”

The three nodded, darting out from their cover and scattering across the battlefield, hiding away each time a blow was landed. Uub, meanwhile, inhaled slowly, concentrating on his surroundings. He could feel the energy gathering in his fingertips, his knuckles, his palms, his wrists. It was ready, but so little energy wouldn’t do a thing to the monster. Gathering it in the sky was out as well; Freeza knew that trick already, and would put the kibosh on it before it had even begun.

Instead, he braced his arms, channeling the energy between his hands. The energy increased, the ball of ki becoming stronger and stronger, yet remaining the same size throughout. This would be a devastating attack, so much power condensed into such a small bullet.

He just had to make sure he hit his mark.

Bra and Cell were evenly matched, neither managing to gain the advantage over the other for very long, but it was beginning to shift; any damage Bra had been able to do was quickly regenerated, meanwhile she was losing steam just as fast. Cell caught her punch, aiming one of his own for her face. Bra spun around, just barely dodging it, and aiming a kick for his side. He shifted his weight just enough to dodge it, only for Bra to kick out with her other leg, striking him in the stomach and forcing his grip loose.

Following up, she swung her fist into his cheek, knocking him off balance before spinning the opposite direction, roundhouse kicking him in the nose. As he was stunned, Gotenks came up from behind, grabbing his wings and swinging him around with enough force to tear them off, sending him flying into a well-timed kick downward from Broly.

“Stay out of this, you guys!” Bra shouted, glaring at her half-brother. “He’s mine!”

“Bra, we both know that’s not gonna happen.” Gotenks crossed his arms. “He’ll just regenerate whatever you do to him, and you’ve only got so much stamina left. Working together is the only way any of us are leaving here!”

Bra clenched her fists, teeth grit. “He killed Pan! I’m not letting him off the hook that easily!” Before Gotenks could react, she vanished, reappearing above Cell and aiming a kick for his jaw. He dodged it, grabbing her ankle and swinging her around, throwing her towards a plateau. As she soared backwards, Bra raised her hands, energy gathering between her palms, before firing a massive ki blast towards Cell.

With a flick of the wrist, he swatted it aside, leaning back and dodging another kick as Bra came at him again. She threw a punch for his nose, only for Cell to vanish, appearing behind her and striking the back of her neck, sending her stumbling to the side. She fell, groaning from the shock, before she finally went limp, her hair returning to its natural blue.

Cell raised an arm, palm open towards the fallen fighter. “You know, for what it’s worth,” he smirked, energy gathering before him, “kinda glad I don’t have to blow myself up this time.”

Suddenly, he twitched, glancing to the side and spotting Uub, arm reared back, Spirit Bomb at full power. With a cry, Uub threw the energy ball forward with all his might, aimed directly at the cyborg. The attack hit him head-on, and Uub pumped a fist victoriously, before his eyes widened in shock; Cell had caught it, holding it at bay with just as much power as Uub had used to throw it.

“Sorry,” Cell quipped, flexing his elbows, “but I’d like to return my purchase!”

The Spirit Bomb was launched back at Uub, striking the young man in the chest and bowling him over. It soared past him, vanishing on the horizon, before an enormous pink explosion lit the landscape.

“Dammit…” He grunted, grasping the bruise on his front and pushing himself into a standing position. “Dammit, King Kai! What the hell did you even make that move for?! It’s useless!”

“Now, now, no need to cuss.” Cell snickered, folding his arms. “Besides, it’s a little bit more than unfair to blame another for one’s own inadequacy.” Uub glared at him, wincing, fingers tightening around the purpling wound.

Cell raised a hand, pointing past Uub and firing a Death Beam; Uub was barely able to register that attack had been fired before hearing a cry from behind. He spun around, watching as the smoke lifted from the fresh crater, the familiar silhouette of Krillin barely visible.

“BASTARD!”

Eighteen came at him from behind, aiming a kick for his knee. Cell crouched, avoiding her blow and delivering one of his own to her temple ala his elbow. He grabbed her by the face, spinning around and burying her in the dirt. She vanished, Vegeta having taken her place before firing a ki blast directly into Cell’s face, momentarily blowing his head open.

As Cell stumbled back, Vegeta kicked out, simultaneously grabbing his arms and tearing them off. Broly grabbed Cell from behind, suplexing him and rolling backwards, driving his whole body into the ground.

Gotenks appeared before him, arm raised and aimed at his newly-formed head; again, Cell’s head was blasted apart, along with the rest of his upper body. His lower half vanished from sight, appearing behind Vegeta and wrapping his legs around his neck. As Cell’s upper body reformed, he threw himself and Vegeta backwards, vaulting off of his hands and crushing Vegeta against the rock wall behind them.

He spun as a whizzing sound filled the air, dodging Marron’s Kienzan, before his arm shot out, following the attack’s momentum. He raised the arm, her attack changing from yellow to purple, becoming his own. As he reared back his arm to throw it, he felt a ki blast pelt his back; Bra had gotten back up, legs shaking as her vision and senses slowly returned.

Cell glared back at her, teeth bared in a malicious grin. “You really shouldn’t have done that…”

With a flourish, Cell waved his hand towards her, the disc spinning wildly towards her. Her eyes widened, her legs refusing to obey her, as she was forced to witness her death drawing nearer. Time seemed to slow down, the Kienzan tearing up the ground and drawing a line ever closer.

Vegeta reached out, a look of horror on his face. Gotenks looked ready to dash in, equally as horrified. Eighteen and Marron could only look on in shock, and Uub had raised both arms, preparing to fire an attack.

And Pan was beside her, pushing her out of the way.

The disc whizzed by, curving upwards into the air and dissipating as Bra and Pan landed, dust kicking up around them. Bra coughed, a grin crossing her features as she registered what had happened. “P-Pan…” She groaned, weakly. “Pan, you...you saved me--"

“Don’t mention it.” Pan smiled back, confidently, pushing herself up on her knees. Bra’s grin, however, had faded, replaced with shock. “Hey, what’s with that look? C-C’mon,” Pan coughed, a thin trail of blood trickling down her chin, “this isn’t...the end. Not for you.”

“Pan,” Bra whimpered, a dry sob wracking her body. “Pan, your...your arm--!”

Indeed, Pan’s remaining arm had been sliced off, a torrent of blood running down her side as she stood. “A small price to pay...to keep you safe...” Even with all her bluster, Pan’s thoughts were racing; she was messed up, and bad. A hole in her gut, her arm gone, and who knows how many internal injuries. She grunted, sight fading.

Vegeta landed behind Cell, the rest of the group following suit. “Pan, take this--” Marron made to throw her the Senzu, but stopped as Pan hacked, doubling over.

“D--on’t…” She wheezed, eyes locking with hers. “It’d be...wasted.”

Vegeta began, “Wasted? What are you--” Before he could get out another word, he caught sight of her eyes. They were clouding, and fast. She put on a tough performance, but anyone with the sort of experience he’d had would be able to tell.

She was dying.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Vegeta understood. “Broly,” he commanded, getting said Saiyan’s attention, “take my daughter and get out of here. The same goes for the rest of you.”

“What?!” Uub shouted, eyes wide. “Vegeta, what the hell are you--”

“Just do as I say!” He yelled in response, averting his gaze from the others. “Please...just do as I say.” The rest of the group just stared, in concern and confusion, before backing off. Eighteen made sure to pick Krillin up, before they collectively took off, keeping their distance.

Broly knelt down, scooping Bra up in his arms and lifting into the air. “No…” Bra groaned, attempting to weakly struggle out of his grasp. “No, let me go, Broly…! Let go, Pan...Pan needs us! Let go...! Let go!”

“Don’t you dare drop her, Broly!” Vegeta warned, watching as they followed the rest of the Z-Fighters. He turned his gaze back to Pan, remorseful.

Cell scoffed, raising an arm and aiming at the group. “Do you really think I’m going to let them--”

Before he could fire his Death Beam, Vegeta dashed forth, punching him in the chest and breaking a few ribs. He vanished, appearing behind him and grabbing his shoulders, kicking out and snapping his back in half. Cell opened his mouth wide, craning his neck to look at Vegeta, before an enormous blast erupted from his gullet, nearly taking Vegeta’s head off but only succeeding in singing a few hairs.

He threw out his arms, blasting Vegeta in the chest and sending him skidding backwards a few yards, before snapping back upright. Vegeta rushed toward him again, only to vanish, appearing past him and taking off into the air. “Oh, prince…” Cell mocked, a chuckle building in his throat.

“Hey, Cell!”

Cell spun around, having forgotten that Pan was still there. “Oh. You.” He spun on his heel, fully facing her, smirking confidently. “You poor thing,” he mocked, stepping closer, “even on Death’s door, you still think it’s a worthwhile effort to try and stand up to me. Or, could it be, perhaps, that you want me to kill you and end your suffering?” Pan remained silent, her legs wobbling. Cell’s smirk widened, crossing his arms. “Well? What should it be? Would you rather I leave you here to bleed out like a mutt, or should I spare your ‘Saiyan Pride’ and end you quickly?”

“Hah…” Pan let a dry laugh escape her throat, what remained of her shoulders shaking. “If it’s all the same to you...I’d rather die by my own hand.” Even as her eyes clouded, she kept a determined grin on her face.

“Oh?” Cell sneered. “Funny, it looks to me like that’s impossible for you.”

Pan chuckled again, and Cell noticed for the first time that her twitches were accompanied by a pulsing, her veins popping on her forehead, her neck, and other places on her body as visible through the tears in her gi.

“You’re missing the point.”

Cell’s brow furrowed, before his eyes widened in realization, just a moment too late.

\--

“What the hell are you doing?!” Vegeta cried, eyes widening at the unconscious cyborg in Marron’s arms. “Why didn’t you leave that thing behind?!”

“I...I felt bad for them…” Marron replied, ‘A’ hanging lifelessly over her shoulder. “I was thinking Bulma might be able to repair them and...y’know...make them good?”

“And you’ve got a lot of nerve to be asking ‘what the hell’, Vegeta!” Uub shouted over the roaring wind, glaring at him. “Where’s Pan? You just left her behind!”

Bra stirred, staring at her father in horror. “What…?”

“She was dead on her feet, Uub.” Vegeta explained, solemnly. “I don’t think even a Senzu would have been enough to help her.” He lowered his gaze. “Pan knew this. She knew, and she decided to end things on her own terms, to keep the rest of us safe.”

“What are you saying--?” Gotenks began, before being cut off by a deafening roar.

From the direction they came, a blinding light erupted across the highlands, obliterating everything in it’s path. The group braced themselves against the initial blast, followed by the backdraft.

“Pan…!” Bra struggled harder, finally breaking out of Broly’s grasp and catching herself in the air. “Pan! PAN!!” She took off towards the dome of light, only to stop in her tracks as Vegeta caught her ankle. “Let me go, Dad! Let go! LET GO!!!”

“Bra!” Vegeta shouted over the roar of the wind, pulling her to him and grasping her shoulders. “Bra…” He shook his head. “It’s over, Bra.”

\--

Pan screamed, engulfed in her own attack. She felt herself losing consciousness, pain wracking her body as she was torn apart. Even as her vision faded, she saw Bra, smiling and laughing. Vegeta’s cocky grin, her father’s reassuring thumbs-up. Bra’s smile. Chi-Chi’s confident hand on her shoulder, Videl’s caring embrace. Bra’s smile. Bra’s smile. Bra’s smile.

She suddenly couldn’t breathe, and panic began to set in.

_ What am I doing? _

_ This is insane. _

Her heart thundered in her ears, horror shaking her to her core. Bra’s smile.

_ It burns. _

_ I’m freezing. _

_ Everything hurts. _

_ I can’t feel a thing. _

_ It’s so bright. _

_ It’s so dark. _

Bra’s smile.

And then, she was calm. Everything was okay, in that moment. She was okay. Bra was safe. Everyone was okay, and Bra was safe. Cell was gone, and everyone was okay, and Bra was safe.

And Pan let go.

\--

The group stood in silence, the light dying down after about a minute. Bra stared in shock, as though she were unable to process her father’s words. Finally, she spoke, “No...No, no, no, it’s...It’s not--” She choked up, glaring at her father before pushing him away. “It’s not--She isn’t--She can’t be--!”

“I’m sorry.”

Bra shook her head. “Shut up! SHUT UP!” She spun around, taking off in the direction of the blast, eyes welling up with tears. “She’s not, she’s not, she’s not…!” She dropped, landing in an enormous crater, running towards the center. “There’s no way, there’s no way she’s--!”

She halted, blood running cold as she took in the sight before her. Scorch marks dotted the landscape, the largest one in the very center, a Pan-sized gray lump lying against the ground. She took a step forward, and immediately she felt a wave of nausea overtake her, her legs wobbled and she felt as though she would fall any second.

Pan was there, face-down in the dirt, her clothes torn and her hair and skin singed and gray. Bra tried to sense her energy, straining to feel even the slightest bit in the husk at her feet. She gulped back her tears, biting her lip. “ _ She isn’t dead, _ ” she told herself, squaring her shoulders, “ _ She isn’t dead. She’s alive, she’s still alive, there’s no way she’s-- _ ”

A dry sob tore itself free from her throat, and the tears began to fall, dotting the back of Pan’s cheongsam. “You’re...You’re not dead.” Bra sobbed, dropping to her knees. “You’re not dead. You’re not dead.” She reached out, hand shaking violently as she grabbed at her friend’s gi. “You’re not dead. You’re NOT dead! YOU’RE NOT--!”

Pan’s body crumbled, turning to little more than dust in her hands. Bra’s breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping a beat at the sight. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and she gripped the cloth in her hands, shaking, shaking.

“Please, you...You can’t be…”

The Z-Fighters landed behind her, watching in sorrow as Bra grieved. Gotenks defused, Goten swiping at his eyes with his sleeve, Trunks wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Eighteen placed a hand on Marron’s shoulder, and the girl in question spun around, wrapping her mother in a hug. Uub lowered his head, closing his eyes and muttering a brief prayer.

And Bra stood, arms at her side, tears flowing freely, her heartbroken wail echoing out across the plains as a golden light erupted from her body, her hair spiking outward, growing longer with each passing second.


	9. Can

_Click!_

‘A’s eyes lit up, and at first, all they could see was white. As their eyes refocused, they realized that they were staring directly up into a large light. They tried to move their arms, to no avail. Their legs were no different. They couldn’t feel any sort of connection from the neck down. They glanced around, spotting out of the corner of their eyes computers, tools, more lights.

“Hello?” They called out, continuing to survey their surroundings. “Is someone there?” They tried to wiggle, and managed to roll onto their side, as well as off of the surgical table they were on. Suddenly, their lack of connection was explained: they were a head.

“Uhp, hold on.” They felt a pair of hands grab their pigtails, hoisting them up back onto the table and sitting them upright. They were face-to-face with Vegeta’s human wife, Bulma. “Didn’t expect you to turn yourself on.”

‘A’ stared up at her, quizzically. “What have you done with my body? I must find Cyborg ‘C’, my directive demands--” They stopped, drawing a blank. Their directive, the instructions they had been programmed with, their entire reason for existing, everything was gone. “You--W-H-A-T  H-A-V-E  Y-O-U  D-O-N-E  T-O  M-E?” They shouted, startling the scientist. “Human. Give me back my directive! I must fulfill my directive!”

“Calm down!” Bulma ordered, holding up her hands defensively. “Look, I’m trying to repair you here!”

“N-O!” ‘A’ screamed, eyes dilating. “I must fulfill my directive! I must fulfill my purpose!” They began to vibrate, trying to wiggle off of the table again. “I need my purpose! G-I-V-E  I-T  B-A-C-K! G-I-V-E  I-T--ah.” They fell, Bulma fumbling their head and accidentally dropping them in a pile of scrap in a garbage can. They sat in silence for a moment, before speaking up. “Remove my head from the garbage, and then give me back my directive, human.”

“Well,” Bulma grunted, lifting their head up and placing it back on the table, “I can do one of those things.” ‘A’ seemed to pout at her, glaring. “Don’t give me that look. You couldn’t complete your directive anyway, Cell’s dead as dirt.”

“Give me. Back. My. Directive.” ‘A’ enunciated. “I must complete my directive. If I don’t, there will be consequences.” Bulma turned away, getting back to working on -- ‘A’ saw it clearly now -- their body.

“Sheesh, you sound like a kid who’ll be punished if their chores aren’t done.” She paused, glancing at them. “In a...weird, robotic sort of way.”

‘A’ stared at her, mouth hanging agape slightly, before their eyes returned to a neutral position, staring ahead without seeing. Something sparked in their head, and they found themselves on the floor. Arms raised.

Red. Wet. Pain.

Red. Pain.

Choking.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

“Please,” Bulma looked at them on the table, about to reprimand them once more, before noticing the look on their face; shock. Perhaps even a trace of…She stopped her work, expression softening. “Please…” ‘A’ begged again, pursing their lips. “Please...Give me my directive. I must complete them. I must. Or...or else…” They bit their lip, their expression unmistakable now.

They were absolutely horrified.

She stepped over to them, catching their attention and breaking their trance. “You know you don’t need them, right?” She bent down so that she was eye-level with the cyborg. “It’s not like there’s anyone who’s gonna hurt you if you don’t do them.”

‘A’ stared, now expressionless as per usual. “It is not in my programming to refuse orders, especially those given by the Red Ribbon Army. I can only carry them out.”

Bulma stood, staring at the head remorsefully. She opened her mouth to speak, faltering, before screwing up the courage to ask, “Are you a cyborg? Or an android?” ‘A’ didn’t respond. “Are you like Sixteen, or...or were you...?”

They remained silent.

Bulma sighed, turning back to work on their body. Several minutes passed, before ‘A’ finally spoke. “I remember.” She turned to them, a confused look on her face. “I remember, you know.” They didn’t look at her, staring at nothing. “What it is like to be scared. What it is like to be sad.” They glanced at her. “I remember what it is like to cry.” As Bulma’s expression turned to one of concern, they looked away again. “What does that tell you?”

\--

“I’m telling you, Bra, finding the Dragon Balls before they return to normal is impossible! If it weren't, your mother would’ve figured out how to do it by now.”

Vegeta and Bra exited the gravity chamber, Bra’s hair returning to normal length as she powered down. It had been just over a couple weeks since Pan had...left, as Bra would prefer to put it. She had been working hard to learn control of her new form, and had managed to sustain it for up to five minutes.

“Then let’s just go to Namek and ask Porunga to tell us where they are, or better yet, wish her back there! It’s not fair that Pan had to die because...because of me.” Vegeta spun on his heel, a stern look on his face. “Don’t look at me like that, Dad.”

“Bra, listen,” He started, gripping her shoulders, “I know you want to bring Pan back. But you need to wait. Running off half-cocked isn’t going to help anyone, least of all her.”

“Bullshit.” It was so rarely that Vegeta had heard others cuss towards him, the fact that it was his daughter doing it was like a punch in the jaw. He was almost impressed. “What am I supposed to do? Let someone else gather the Dragon Balls, and say ‘hey Pan, sorry you had to off yourself because of my slow ass’?”

Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose; he could swear she had advanced his age by an extra decade in the last month alone.“We can bring her back, but flying out to Namek would take just as long as if we’d stayed here waiting for Earth’s set to return to normal, if not longer.” Bra crossed her arms, acknowledging the truth but not willing to fully accept it. “In the meantime, what you can do is train. And next time, you’ll be the one saving her, without having to die.”

Bra’s lips tightened, barely forming more than a line, and she turned away, walking to her locker and removing her armor, grabbing a tank top, jeans, underwear, and a towel, and walking towards the shower block. Vegeta sighed, walking to his own locker and putting on a blue polo with tan cargo pants. He stepped through the door, closing it behind him as the sound of running water echoed through the empty room.

\--

‘A’s neck clicked as Bulma finally reattached their head to their body, sitting them up on the table as she went to work separately on their arms and legs. They hadn’t said much of anything for a while, just sitting, staring pensively into space. Their memories were a blur, but they were at least clear enough for them to have a vague idea of what had happened to them.

Red. Glinting. Pain.

Glinting. Pain.

Pain.

Fear.

Suffocating.

Pain.

Darkness.

Pain.

Gone.

Their body was hardly organic, perhaps ten percent, fifteen percent at most. They knew why. The glinting light as something blurry swung down. The pain in their arms and legs. The suffocating, gods above, the suffocating. It was a borderline miracle that Dr. Gero had managed to save as much of them as he did.

Bulma stepped towards them, popping their arms into their sockets. As she turned to put the finishing touches on ‘A’s legs, they cleared their throat. “May...May I have my shirt, please? Surely that is a reasonable request.”

She nodded, picking up their red-and-white-striped t-shirt and handing it to them. ‘A’ pulled the skin-tight article over their head and torso, squeezing their arms through the proper holes. It was strange, they had never had a problem wearing this shirt before, but now, they felt horribly constricted, as though someone had put them in a straightjacket.

“Okay, done.” Bulma grinned, picking up ‘A’ legs and popping them into place, handing ‘A’ their pants. “Your shoes are over by the door. How do you feel?”

‘A’ paused, their only movement coming from shifting their hips as they dressed. They looked to Bulma, their expression blank. “Odd. Itchy.” They fiddled with the hem of their shirt.

A soft thumping echoed from the hallway outside, and Bra rounded the corner, striding into the room. “Hey Mom, I’m going out to meet Dennish--” She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of ‘A’, her look quickly becoming one of disgust.

“Hello.” ‘A’ waved. She didn’t respond. The silence was thick enough to cut with a knife, and ‘A’ tugged on their collar. “I suppose we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is--”

“I know what your name is.” Bra glowered, huffing and turning to her mother. “Mom, I’m going out to meet with Dennish at the mall. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” She lowered her voice as she heard someone coming down the stairs, another Capsule Corp. scientist. “Don’t tell dad?” Bulma chuckled, nodding.

“May I go as well?”

Bulma and Bra looked at ‘A’, one in surprise, the other in dismay. Bra crossed her arms. “No. Don’t you know what a date is?” ‘A’ shook their head. “Sheesh, what are you, five?”

‘A’ stared straight ahead, processing her question. “Negative. I am sixteen.”

It was now Bra’s turn to look surprised. She had expected them to be much, much older. She scowled, glaring. “Bullshcrap. Gero’s been dead for almost thirty years, there’s no way you’re only sixteen.”

“That is the physical age that Dr. Gero has registered in my data banks.” They explained, processing more information. “I was built in Age 762, so I suppose chronologically I would be much older.”

Bra sighed, annoyed. “Anyway, you can’t come with us. We’re going to the mall to be alone.”

‘A’ stared, processing. “I have concluded that such a location is sub-optimal for moments of intimacy and privacy, as places called ‘mall’ are often packed with other beings, many of whom know not how to mind their own business.”

She sputtered, embarrassed. “Gods, shut UP! You’re so fuuuunning annoying!” She scoffed, turning away and smacking them in the face with her hair. “I’m going out.”

“Okay, have fun!” Bulma waved. She turned to ‘A’ as her daughter left. “Why do you want to go to the mall?”

‘A’ tugged on their shirt again. “I...wish to acquire a different set of clothing. It appears that these are too small on me.”

Bulma cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t know cyborgs could grow.”

“We can’t.”

\--

“I told you you couldn’t come with us!” Bra shouted, stamping her foot and glaring at the cyborg. She had met up with Dennish a few blocks back, and ‘A’ had been tailing them for a few yards away ever since. “Go back home!”

“Negative.” ‘A’ droned. “I will not bother you, I am merely going the same way by coincidence.”

“Yeah, bull.”

Bra felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to face a nervous Dennish. “Come on, Bra. I don’t mind them. It’s not like they’re trying to get in the way, they’re just going to the mall with us.” Bra opened her mouth to protest, only to be interrupted as ‘A’ caught up to them.

“Greetings. I am cyborg ‘A’. I infer that you are the ‘Dennish’ that Bra had mentioned.”

“Erm, y-yeah…” He laughed, nervously. “Yeah, I’m Dennish. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand, but ‘A’ simply stared at it. After an uncomfortable silence, Dennish retracted his hand. “Well, ah...Anyway, come on, Bra, let’s keep going.”

Bra made to protest, only for Dennish to keep walking. She grabbed ‘A’ by one of their pigtails, bending slightly so that they were eye-level -- she had never noticed how short ‘A’ actually was. “Read my lips, you toaster. If this goes south, and he dumps me over your weirdness, I’ll turn you to scrap. Capiche?”

‘A’ stared, processing. “Affirmative.”

\--

The trio wandered for a few hours, browsing a few sporting goods stores, game stores, and clothing stores. Bra had picked out several sundresses, hurrying to the dressing rooms to try them on. ‘A’, in the meantime, had picked out a light blue sweater that was several times too large for them, as well as a dark brown skirt. They paid (with an allowance from Bulma that they’d promised to pay back) and had attempted to strip out of their old clothing, before Dennish managed to pull them towards the dressing rooms.

As they waited for Bra on a bench outside the store, Dennish glanced around, trying to think of a conversation topic. “So...uh…” He turned to them, catching their attention. “You’re a...cyborg, right? T-Tell me about that.”

“I am a cyborg.” ‘A’ confirmed.

“Well, yeah, you told me. But like...I don’t know, how’s that working out for you?”

‘A’ stared through him, contemplating his question. “I was not programmed to think about it. I was programmed only to carry out orders as my master saw fit.”

“Did the Briefs, um…’make’ you?”

“Negative.” ‘A’ shook their head, their neck creaking slightly. “I was built by Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army. My directive used to be to find cyborgs ‘B’ through ‘Z’, and give their operating chips to cyborg ‘C’ in order to increase his power.” They glanced at Dennish. “Cyborg ‘C’ is...no more, however, and my directive is null. I have no purpose.”

Dennish’s expression turned to one of concern. “No purpose? Everything has a purpose, or, at least that’s what I like to think.”

“Humans are illogical creatures.” ‘A’ droned. “Thinking with something so intangible as one’s ‘spirit’ or ‘heart’ is illogical and often leads to the breaking of said ‘spirit’ or ‘heart’.”

The two sat in silence for a minute, Dennish scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “So, cyborgs are part human, right?” ‘A’ stiffened, staring into nothing for the third time that day. “What happened to you?”

“...You want to know?”

Dennish nodded.

And then, ‘A’ turned to face him, the most terrifying expression on their face; a wide, toothy grin, their eyes dilating and glowing ever so slightly. “You really want to know?”

He gulped, before nodding again. ‘A’ glanced at him from the corner of their eye. They both perked up, noticing Bra exiting the store, her sundresses packed into a plastic bag with the store’s name and logo on it. “I may tell you at a later date. For now, let us ‘act natural’.”

“Huh? H-Hey, hold up--” But ‘A’ was already on their feet, striding mechanically over to Bra and meeting her halfway. Dennish pushed himself to his feet, intrigue piqued but willing to wait and respect their boundaries. They would open up in due time, if they felt like it, he reasoned.

And, if their entire life thus far was just accepting orders, maybe some independent thought would be good for them.

\--

The lights were turned low, the theater around the trio hushing. They had decided to catch a movie before going home, and had agreed upon a romance flick. It was nice, for a while, and Bra managed to ignore the quiet whirrings as ‘A’ craned their neck around, unfamiliar with the very concept of movie theaters.

‘A’ reached across their companions, picking out a kernel of popcorn, studying it intensely. They squished it slightly, looking it over, before following the others’ example and popping it into their mouth. They froze up, lips puckering in discomfort. It had smelled nice, and the taste itself wasn’t so bad, but the texture was...indescribable. They glanced around, before plucking the kernel off of their tongue and dropping it on the floor inconspicuously.

The movie reached its end, with the two main characters professing their love for one another, the final seconds before the credits showing a montage of them as they went on dates, got married and began to prepare for a child. The credits began to roll, and ‘A’ would have felt their stomach turn in disgust if they had been capable of such an emotion.

‘Love’, a thing that made humans foolish beyond redemption.

\--

The three exited the mall, Bra and Dennish holding hands and ‘A’ trailing a few feet behind. “I had a great time tonight, Bra.” Dennish smiled, earning a gentle shove from a blushing Bra. “Want me to walk you home?”

“Nah,” she smiled, “my dad would slaughter you if he saw you walking with me, and I need to stop somewhere on the way home as it is.”

“Are you going to go see Pan?” Bra tried to keep a natural grin on her face, even as her chest felt the desire to heave. No one outside the Z-Fighters knew about Pan’s fate, many assuming that she had moved away. “I seriously have no idea how you guys can travel so quickly, doesn’t she live in the mountains or something?”

Bra thought fast. “It’s...an experiment! Yeah, my mom has us testing out an experimental vehicle she’s been working on that can travel really fast.” Dennish seemed satisfied with the answer, and she breathed slowly out her nose.

“Alright, then.” He planted a quick peck on her forehead, making her giggle. He waved as he headed in the opposite direction. “Hey, I’ll see you Monday at school!”

“Yeah, seeya!” Bra returned his wave, watching until he was out of sight.

‘A’ glanced from Bra, to the last spot they had seen Dennish, and then back to Bra. “Gross.” Their head span around once as Bra backhanded them.

“Care to repeat that, Toaster?”

“Negative.”

\--

Bra and ‘A’ could see the hut in the distance, lights on and casting a soft orange glow across the Son yard. “Nearing location: Mount Paozu.” They looked at Bra. “This is where we first fought.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” She scowled at them, turning back to watch the light draw nearer. “I’m just gonna be a minute or two, you wait outside.” ‘A’ did not answer, but a glare later and they nodded.

The two landed, ‘A’ hanging back around a tree as Bra strode over to the front door, knocking three times. She shuffled her feet a little, waving as Videl opened the door. The older of the two waved back, wrapping her in a gentle hug before motioning for her to step inside.

“I’m...I’m so--” Bra began, before Videl held up a hand.

“You apologize every time you come over.” She placed a hand on Bra’s shoulder, a patient, if pained smile crossing her features. “It’s alright, Bra. I know it isn’t easy for you, either.”

“Forget about me.” Bra shook her head. “You’re her mom, and...and she died to protect me. I’m still surprised you aren’t furious with me.”

Videl sighed. “Has anyone ever told you what happened when Cell first attacked?” Bra nodded. “Well, did anyone ever tell you what happened after Goku sent Cell away?” She shook her head. “Gohan was absolutely heartbroken, and blamed himself for putting Goku in that sort of position. What Piccolo told him back then applies now, in the case of you and Pan: her decisions were her own, right to the end.” She smiled. “As much as I miss her, I’m proud that she was willing to sacrifice so much for the people she cared about.”

Bra sniffed, rubbing her nose and trying to conceal her shaking breath. “Thanks, Videl…” She stepped further into the house, waving at Chi-Chi, who was reading a book in the den. Bra stopped at the corner, where the family’s altar sat, Gohan and Pan’s photos on display. She knelt down, smiling remorsefully.

\--

‘A’ turned off their infra-red sensors as Bra exited the Son home. She already hated them, no need to give her more ammunition. They took off after a moment of Bra taking a breath to collect her thoughts, soaring straight back towards West City.

As they stepped in through the door, Bulma rounded the corner, a look of fear quickly turning to one of relief as she pulled Bra into a hug. “Thank the gods, you’re safe…”

“Mom? What’s wrong? What--”

The television in the next room caught her eye, and she hurried over, fixated on the scene before her. Her blood ran cold, her eyes growing wide as she read the alert: Parsley City Under Attack.

And there, in the center of the screen, was Cell.

“What the **_FUCK_ **?!” Bra shouted, not caring if her mother reprimanded her later. “He’s still alive...He’s still alive?!” ‘A’ hurried over as well, scanning the screen themselves. “Pan...Pan blew herself up all for nothing!” Her fists clenched and released, her blood boiling with rage.

“Bra, calm down, Vegeta and Trunks have already gone to fight him. The other Z-Fighters will--” But Bulma didn’t have time to finish her sentence. Bra spun on her heel, stomping to the door and punching it open, knocking it off one of it’s hinges. “Bra, stop! What are you--”

“Keep the Toaster here!” Bra shouted back, taking to the air. “I’ve got a score to settle with that crapstain!” As she burst towards the action, her hair spiked outward, turning golden, fire flickering behind her now-cyan eyes. “You’re not getting away again, Cell...You’re not getting away!”

\--

Vegeta huffed, blood dribbling down his chin as he grasped his broken leg. Gotenks lay on the ground, a metal pipe jutting out of their side as they lay in the wreckage of a nearby gas station. Uub stood opposite Cell, holding the bleeding, broken mess that had been his right arm.

“Come now, surely this isn’t your best.” Cell mocked, smirking at their despair. “I’m sure Goku would have offered more of a challenge. Well? Doesn’t that fact just piss you off, Prince?”

Vegeta spat, glaring. “Piss off…”

“How?” Uub grit his teeth. “How are you still alive? How were you able to--?!”

Cell held up a finger, pointing at his cranium. “That girl very nearly took me down. I was sure that she had destroyed every last cell of mine, or at the very least damaged the final one to the point where I couldn’t recover. However,” his grin widened, drinking in the terror on their faces, “to my surprise, I was able to recover just enough of my power to revert to my larval state, and get away before any of you could realize what had happened.”

“Your larval state?” Uub’s brow furrowed. “B-But then, how did you--?”

“I believe you’re familiar with something called the Room of Spirit and Time?”

The trio’s eyes widened in horror as realization hit. Their faces only amused Cell even more, as he stepped towards them, electricity crackling around his body. “Bastard…” Uub grunted, grip tightening around his arm.

Suddenly, Cell vanished, backing off as Bra landed in front of him. “Cell!” She growled, glaring daggers at the creature. “My friend is gone because of you...Why couldn’t you just stay the fuck dead?!”

Cell chuckled, crossing his arms. “Well now, someone was a bit late to storytime. Ah, what the hell, I’ll repeat myself for you, cheeky little tyke. You see--”

But Bra was on him before he could get a word out, landing a blow to his cheek. “SHUT UP!” Cell recoiled, holding his jaw. “I couldn’t give two shits if you wanted to recite freakin’ Shakespeare. Pan is dead because she tried to finish you...You still being alive is a sin in and of itself! I’m gonna rip you to pieces, you hear me?! **_PIECES_ **!”

“Oh? Is that so…” Cell snickered. “Well then, let me see what you’ve--”

Bra struck again, punching him directly in the nose, leaving a massive crater where his face had been. She swung her leg around, kicking him in the side and sending him sprawling into the asphalt. She appeared above him, striking downward with a kick before kicking him again, this time in the direction of a convenience store; the whole street had been abandoned as soon as the fighting had begun.

“I told you to shut up!” She shouted, squaring her shoulders as she marched towards him. “You’ll suffer before I’m through with you. I’ll tear your tongue out through your ass, you hear me?! I’ll shove my fist so far down your throat you’ll taste my fucking wrist--ON MY OTHER HAND!”

Uub glanced at Vegeta, who had began rubbing his eyes. “V-Vegeta? You uh...You okay?”

“I’m just...so _proud_ , Uub.”

As she took another step forward, her aura burst up around her, hair growing longer and spikier. “This is a Super Saiyan 3.” She growled, looming over Cell threateningly. “Try to make this fun for me, got it?”

Cell pushed himself up, returning her glare, before rising to his full height. “Loud and clear.”

And so it began, the two trading blow after blow. Cell grabbed a punch as Bra twisted her arm around, spinning him along with it before kicking him in the gut. Before he could recover, she snapped behind him, kicking him into the air. He spun around, facing her as she jumped up after him, blocking her punch and striking her in the chest with his knee.

As she recoiled, he struck down with his elbow, hitting her in the temple. She shook herself out of her daze, just in time to block a kick aimed for her leg. She grabbed his ankle, spinning him around and throwing him into the ground.

She followed him down, landing before him and rearing back her hands for a Galick Gun. A few seconds passed, and Cell glanced up at her just in time to see her power down, a look of shock on her face. He followed her gaze, eyes resting on--

“Bra?” Dennish mumbled, eyes wide. “Bra, what’s...what’s going on?”

Her mind was whirling, trying to think of an explanation and drawing a blank. Cell smirked, vanishing from his spot on the ground and appearing behind Dennish, holding him in a chokehold. “Well, well, now who might this be, squirt?”

“Cell! You let him go!” Bra cried out, a mix of rage and terror on her face. “If you so much as touch a hair on his head, I’ll--I’ll--!”

“Oh? What’s the matter? What happened to all that bravado you had just a minute ago? All of those threats you were spewing?” Bra clenched her fists, arms shaking. “What was it again, ‘I’ll rip your tongue out through your ass’?”

With a cry of fury, Bra launched herself at the cyborg, punch aimed for his face. He moved Dennish into her path, and she had just barely a second to stop herself from...She didn’t even want to consider what would have happened.

He threw Dennish to the side, grabbing Bra’s arm and twisting it, breaking her elbow before throwing her back towards Vegeta and the others. He leapt for them, only to dodge back as an enormous burst of ki hit the ground between them, a deep, square-shaped crater marking the land.

“We’re not sitting any more fights out!”

Down floated Tenshinhan, alongside Yamcha, Krillin, Eighteen, and Chiaotzu. Marron floated down closer to the beaten-down group, passing out Senzus to each of them and helping them to their feet. Gotenks defused, taking separate Senzus if for no other reason than to recover their stamina; even if they were both free from the pipe, the feeling of it was still there.

“Well well, if it isn’t the human brigade.” Cell laughed, surveying the group. He raised an eyebrow as Broly floated down as well, landing in front of Vegeta. “And a Saiyan.” He glanced back, smirking, and raising an arm, pointing at Dennish as he tried to stand. “Any sudden moves, and the brat eats a Death Beam.”

“Why…?” Bra snarled, glaring. “Why are you doing this?! WHAT THE **_FUCK_ ** DO YOU **_WANT_ ** FROM US?!”

“It isn’t about what I want, kiddo.” Cell snickered. “It isn’t a question of ‘why’. It’s a question of ‘why not’. With as much power as I have, why shouldn’t I try to make the most of it? I’m doing this, Bra, because I _can_ . Not because I’m ‘good’, or because I’m ‘evil’. Just because I _can_.”

Tenshinhan lunged forward, and Cell, true to his word, fired, the beam of energy rapidly closing in on Dennish--

Krillin stepped in the way, swatting it to the side. Bra saw her opportunity, charging back up to Super Saiyan 3. If she wanted Dennish to make it out of here alive, she needed to forget about being hated or seen as a freak.

She leapt forward alongside Tenshinhan, the two of them striking out and knocking Cell off of his feet. Vegeta appeared behind him, grabbing him around the waist and suplexing him. As he released him, Broly grabbed Cell’s leg, lifting him over his head before slamming him into the ground.

Krillin and Eighteen both reared back their hands, firing a single, massive Kienzan at the cyborg as he was stuck in the asphalt. He vanished at the last second, hitting Krillin in the face with a palm-strike and spinning around, hitting Eighteen in the neck with a roundhouse.

Yamcha charged him from behind, Tenshinhan from the front, and Cell leapt up, expecting them to collide and hurt one another--

“Fu-Sion! HA!”

Cell shielded his eyes as a bright light erupted from the two, looking back after a moment and coming face-to-face with a young man with spiky black hair, a third eye, and the typical Metamoran clothing, colored green with a yellow belt as opposed to blue and cyan.

“You can fuse…?!” Cell scowled, caught by surprise.

“Just call me Yamhan.” He smirked, vanishing and punching Cell down by the top of his head, allowing Uub to kick him into a nearby road sign. “Of course, assuming you’ll live long enough to remember me.”

Cell pushed himself up out of the rubble, teeth grit. “You...think this is time for jokes? You think this is _funny_?!” Suddenly, his composure returned, and he straightened up as though he wasn’t hurt at all. “Because you’d be right.” He raised a hand, showing them all a small, capsule-like object. “Think for a moment. What do you think I found in that Room of Spirit and Time?”

Vegeta scrunched up his brow in confusion, before realization hit him like a ton of bricks. “NO--!” But it was too late. Cell popped the capsule into his mouth, swallowing it whole.

At first, no one moved, all eyes trained on Cell. And then, he let out a loud, booming laugh, electricity sparking around his body as a deep pink aura surrounded him, the purple on his skin from Freeza turning white, and his spots turning a mix of purple and pink. He glowed brighter, brighter, as bright as the sun, the ground beneath him cracking and shattering. Bra leapt towards Dennish, shielding him from the flash of light and backdraft, the entirety of Parsley City being consumed by Cell’s glow.

A few minutes passed before Bra found the strength to push herself up. She rolled off of Dennish, the young man looking at her, confused. “Hey…” She laughed, nervously. “Erm...I...guess I’ve got some explaining to do, when this is all over…” She looked to the center of the group, eyes settling on the shadow stepping through the dust. “Speaking of ‘this’...”

Cell emerged, more monstrous than ever before. His prongs had grown, resembling almost tentacles, and his eyes had become completely red. His canines had grown slightly longer, just enough to be noticeable. His wings were gone, replaced by a single obsidian-black shield of sorts.

“Now, let’s get down to the _real_ fight.”


	10. We Need To Talk

This wasn’t bad, Vegeta tried to reason with himself.

Freeza leaving Goku only five minutes to defeat him and leave Namek? That was bad.

Cell threatening to blow up the Earth, with even a single poke being enough to make him detonate? That was bad.

Buu absorbing their friends and family, only to destroy the planet and everyone left on it? That was bad.

No, this wasn’t bad.

This was the worst possible outcome that could have taken place. A combination of those three monsters. A creature with no empathy, a creature who could regenerate at will, a creature that could come back from the brink of death stronger each time. That was what they were dealing with.

“ _Hell,_ ” the word stuck out in Vegeta’s mind, “ _this is Hell._ ”

Cell marched forth, teeth bared in a menacing smirk as he closed the distance between himself and Bra, taking long, purposeful strides. “What’s the matter?” He mocked. “I thought you were going to ‘tear my tongue out through my ass’? Surely you’re going to keep your word.” He was just a few meters in front of them, and Bra shuffled her feet back, trying to shield Dennish. “Perhaps you need a demonstration, just to see how it’s done.”

He stopped, faltering as Broly stepped in front of the kids. “B-Broly?” Bra mumbled, just as surprised as Cell. “What...what are you doing…?”

“My father told me to protect Prince Vegeta...I am comfortable with including Princess Bra in his orders as well.” He glanced back at her, and Bra flinched; Broly, the emotionless brick wall Broly, had a look on his face that was a mix of anger, determination, and confidence, before turning to give Cell the same look.

“...So cool…” Bra breathed quietly, eyes shining with admiration.

“Oh, how cute.” Cell chuckled, continuing his stride. “Stand aside, wallflower. Unless of course you want to volunteer to help me show this brat the aforementioned demonstration.” Broly stood completely still. “Alright then...Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Cell lunged forward, landing a solid punch to Broly’s midsection as the rest of the group watched in horror. The creature smirked, shoulders shaking as he let out a guttural chuckle, before he backed off, realizing that his attack had done absolutely nothing.

Broly grabbed Cell’s wrist, his expression remaining the same. “My turn.”

With a shout, the ground around Broly erupted, a low whine filling the air as he powered up. His raven-black hair wavered, pointing upwards with the wind and turning bright gold, almost white. His eyes emitted a bright glow, looking almost completely blank as he glared down Cell.

With just the slightest twitch of his shoulder, Broly tore Cell’s arm out of it’s socket, sending the cyborg reeling backwards in shock and pain, grasping the stump. But Broly was far from finished. He grabbed Cell by the face, driving him back-first into the ground and dragging him, before throwing him skyward.

As Cell plummeted, Broly dashed under him, leaping up and catching him with his head. To everyone’s simultaneous shock, he proceeded to grab Cell by the shoulders, swinging him around and throwing him, before sprinting after him and punching him repeatedly in the stomach as he flew.

With a final punch, he sent Cell spinning into the dirt, taking a run-up and punting him into a nearby streetlight. The pole crumpled, and the cyborg rolled along the dirt as he touched down.

Cell pushed himself up, regrowing his arm in a daze. He stared at Broly, at a complete loss for words. Luckily, Vegeta was there. “What the actual _hell_ , Broly?!”

Broly powered down, glaring at Cell. “I am far stronger than I’ve led you to believe, Your Highness…” He breathed out through his nose. “I cannot maintain the form for long...but it should be enough to finish off this...abomination.”

He powered up again, dashing forth and striking Cell in the face, completely decapitating him. He raised Cell’s headless body up, tearing it in two and throwing it towards his head, before rearing back a fist, an enormous green energy ball forming in his palm.

Broly threw his hand forward, a gigantic wave of ki engulfing Cell entirely, the light temporarily blinding the rest of the Z-Fighters. As the light cleared, they looked back to see Broly, powered down and breathing just slightly heavier.

The dust settled, revealing a long, stretching crater beginning at Broly’s feet and continuing towards the horizon. And Cell stood in the middle of it, arms raised in defense. He floated closer, glaring at Broly.

“Not bad.” He muttered. “If you’d done that back in the Yunzebit Heights I might have actually died…”

Broly braced himself as Cell charged him, landing a series of punches and kicks to his midsection as he tried to block. He powered back up, grabbing Cell’s fist and flipping him around, crushing him against the asphalt.

Cell in turn grabbed Broly’s wrists, pile-driving him before blasting him away. Broly skidded backwards, losing form, and Cell dashed after him, fists raised. Vegeta and Bra jumped in the way, stalling him just long enough for Broly to power back up.

“One of you!” Bra called out. “Get Dennish out of here! Quick!”

Marron hurried over, helping Dennish to his feet and guiding him away. “H-Hold on!” He protested. “W-We gotta call the police or something! We...We have to help them!”

“Correction,” she replied, motioning for him to stay put, “ _I_ need to help them. You need to stay here and stay safe, alright?” Before he could answer, she took off, firing a barrage of ki blasts at Cell from behind.

“I don’t…” Dennish huffed, holding his forehead, utterly confused. “I don’t understand anything that’s going on…”

Yamhan charged forth, aiming a knee for Cell’s nose, only to vanish, allowing Krillin and Eighteen to land a barrage of punches to his stomach. Cell caught their wrists, slamming their heads together before throwing them to either side. Vegeta snapped behind him, elbow aimed for his neck, but Cell spun around in a flash, striking him in the temple with a well-timed knee.

As Vegeta fell, Trunks took his place, kicking out and striking Cell in the side. Goten followed up from behind, holding him in a chokehold and allowing Trunks to land blow after blow to Cell’s face.

Cell let out a cry of fury, lunging forward and allowing his arms to be torn from his shoulders again, kicking backwards and sending Goten reeling. He spun quickly, kicking Trunks in the knee and causing him to fall over, his leg bent at an odd angle.

Goten dashed forward again, a ki ball forming in his hand as he punched Cell squarely in the stomach. The cyborg lurched for a moment, looking as though he was about to vomit, before swallowing, and grabbing Goten by the throat. Goten kicked wildly, trying to break free as he was rapidly losing breath.

Before Cell could properly crush his windpipe, he felt a blast hit his back, forcing him to drop Goten. He vanished, appearing above Trunks and stomping down, hard, on his chest. Trunks cried out in pain, holding his chest as Cell backed off.

He raised an arm, taking aim at Trunks, only to miss as Vegeta kicked him in the face. Broly grabbed him as he was stunned, powering up and suplexing him, lodging him in the ground. He spun around, firing a burst of ki at the cyborg.

Cell vanished at the last second, grabbing Broly by the back of his hair and throwing him into Vegeta. Bra dashed towards him, before circling around to his back and vanishing, striking him from the side. Uub and Yamhan each grabbed an arm, flipping him onto the ground and holding him down by stepping on his shoulders. Vegeta jumped down at him, a kick aimed for his stomach, but Cell vanished, appearing off to the side, cupping his hands.

“KAMEHAME _HA_!”

The group dodged as the massive beam barrelled towards them, hitting the convenience store before detonating. Using the dust as cover, Cell lowered his energy, slinking around the perimeter of the cloud. Everyone put up their guard, Bra turning to make sure that Dennish wasn’t a target again. She jolted as she heard a sound; a ripping, a tearing, a crunching. As the smoke cleared, everyone turned to the source of the noise, horror on their faces.

Cell stood there, arm outstretched, piercing Goten through the stomach.

He withdrew, and Goten fell forward, coughing up blood, pressing his hand to the wound to try and staunch the bleeding, with little success. He raised his leg up, bringing it down on the hole in Goten’s back, snickering as he howled in pain.

“Stop it!” Trunks shouted, rage on his face. “STOP IT!” He shifted onto his front, his broken leg and ribs keeping him down. He glanced at Uub, telepathically communicating, “ _Uub! Senzu me!_ ”

Uub complied, throwing him a bean. Cell took aim, only to grunt in pain as Goten fired a beam from his eye, momentarily blinding him. Trunks caught the Senzu, hurriedly downing it in one bite. His ribs creaked as they repaired themselves, and his leg twitched, folding back to it’s natural shape.

In a flash, he stood, hair turning golden as he sprinted towards Cell, landing a strike to his throat and forcing him off of Goten. Trunks pummeled Cell in the chest, sending him further and further back with each blow. Cell finally caught one of his fists, flipping him over his head and slamming him into the asphalt. Uub threw another Senzu to Goten, who deftly caught it in his mouth, chewing it quickly and rising to his feet, turning Super Saiyan as well.

Cell raised an arm as he held Trunks against the ground, energy gathering his palm. He smirked, twisting around and firing the blast at Goten, sending him flying backwards. Broly snapped behind Cell, swinging his hand down and chopping off his arm at the elbow, allowing Trunks to roll away.

Vegeta grappled Cell from behind, and Bra dashed in, pummeling his chest and stomach. Again, Cell’s throat and cheeks twitched, as though he were about to be sick. He swallowed again, but not before Vegeta could notice his sickness.

He broke free of Vegeta’s grasp, kicking him away and grabbing Bra by both sides of her head. There was a sickening _crunch!_ as he shoved her face into his knee, blood erupting from her now-broken nose, and he followed up by throwing her into Vegeta by the back of her hair.

Yamhan jumped into the fray, and he and Cell clashed together, punching and blocking and kicking and dodging in rapid succession. Bra pushed herself up, holding her nose in agony. “This really sucks…” She muttered, glancing at her father. “What do you think our chances are, Dad?”

“Depends.” Vegeta smirked, helping her stand. “How hard can you punch someone in the gut?”

Bra cocked an eyebrow, confused. “I...I guess pretty hard? I don’t know, why?”

“I have an idea.”

Cell grabbed Yamhan by the vest, flipping him over his shoulder and pinning him to the ground, hand clenched tight around his throat. He threw his free arm to the side, deflecting a Dodon-Pa and shooting Chiaotzu a glare, taking aim himself and firing a Death Beam. Chiaotzu swung to the side, just barely avoiding it.

As he was distracted, Yamhan raised his hands up, sending Cell into the air with a burst of ki. Uub snapped above him, kicking him straight down back towards Yamhan, who leapt up and socked Cell upside the head, dazing him. Broly jumped towards him, wrapping him in a bear hug and soaring upwards.

Broly leaned backwards in his flight, curving back down towards the asphalt, Cell still tightly in his grasp. At the moment just before impact, Broly let go of him, throwing his arms and legs to the side and stopping himself mid-plummet, watching as Cell slammed head-first into the ground.

Uub, Yamhan, Trunks, and Goten all reared their hands back, firing a beam each at the cyborg, creating a single enormous explosion at their target. Before any of them could recover from using so much energy, Cell appeared in the center of their little circle, whirling around and firing a haphazard barrage of Death Beams. Uub and Yamhan leapt in opposite directions as Trunks grabbed Goten’s wrist, pulling him down just as a beam sliced through a couple of his hairs, nearly taking his head off.

Cell caught sight of them descending, and he raised an arm over his head, a dark purple energy ball forming at his fingertip. With a smirk, he threw his arm downward, the Death Ball catching the two off-guard. Thinking fast, they shouted out, “Fu-Sion! HA!” and Gotenks brought his hands up to catch the attack before it could strike the ground. With a cry of desperation, he pushed it away, stumbling backwards as Cell sidestepped the deflected attack, allowing it to vanish in a small glint of light in the sky.

He lowered to the ground, surrounded, and yet just as confident as ever. “Why are you all even trying at this point? Do you even know what you’re dealing with?” A malicious grin spread across his face, eyes dilating slightly. “I’m not the same ‘Cell’ as before. I’ve become even more perfect, more powerful. My regenerative properties have at the very least doubled, and even if I hadn’t absorbed Freeza, absorbing Buu was more than enough to surpass every last one of you.”

He glanced to the side, smirking as he saw Broly twitching--fear, he assumed. A chuckle built in his throat, studying the Saiyan’s expression: his eyes were wide, teeth grit, nose scrunched up, protruding outward--wait what.

Cell’s smirk vanished as he fully turned to face Broly. It was true, his nose, no, his entire face, seemed to be elongating, his nostrils growing wider, his teeth growing sharper. His armor began to expand along with his body, as coarse black hair sprouted along his arms, his legs, his chest and neck. Suddenly, he realized what was happening, and he spun on his heel, looking up into the sky.

The moon was full.

With a roar, Broly completed his transformation, towering over the fighters as a Great Ape. His fur stood on end, momentarily flashing white, as his eyes turned blood red. He swung his hand down, snatching up Cell in both hands and squeezing, bringing him up close to his face. “Looks like you’re the one who didn’t know what he was dealing with.” Broly teased, the corners of his lips turning upwards.

Not missing a beat, Cell turned his head to the side, coughing. “Would it kill you to brush your teeth?”

Broly let out another roar, throwing Cell into the air and leaping up after him. He swung both fists downward, spiking Cell back into the ground like a volleyball. He aimed his foot for the cyborg, planning to stomp on him, but Cell rolled out of the way at the last second, instead grabbing him by his foot and lifting him up off of the ground.

The rest of the group ducked for cover as Cell swung Broly around, completely demolishing the buildings around them. With a heave, he threw Broly to the side, cupping his hands at his side and firing a Kamehameha. Broly corrected himself mid-flight, gnashing his teeth and firing a beam from his mouth, the two attacks colliding in a massive explosion.

Cell dashed out from the dust, landing a punch to Broly’s jaw. The ape recoiled for but a moment, springing back and head-butting Cell. The cyborg swung back around, flying circles around Broly and dodging his hands each time he tried to grab him. Roaring, Broly lunged for Cell, chomping down and trapping Cell in his mouth. He smirked, gathering energy in his throat, and opening his mouth only to release an enormous blast, Cell caught right in the middle.

For a moment, Broly relaxed: surely that was enough to kill him?

His question was answered by a kick directly to his eye, sending him reeling backwards clutching his face, howling in pain. Cell snickered at the sight, crossing his arms. “You really are a Saiyan.” He raised an arm, taking aim. “Just another foolish monkey.”

Suddenly, he twitched, dodging a thin, purple beam, a spiraling aura emanating from it like a corkscrew. His eyes widened, recognizing the attack, and he turned to face the source. The rest of the fighters followed his gaze, just as shocked at the prospect that their friend had somehow returned.

Instead, they were greeted by a shorter figure, face obscured by a dark violet hood and cloak. Underneath this, they wore a loose black jumpsuit, their hands obscured by black leather gloves. They lowered their arm, turning subtly to Bra, before quickly looking away, almost...bashful?

“Scratch what I said,” Cell sneered, descending. “You’re all more like cockroaches, popping up one right after the other.” He took a moment, studying the newcomer’s aura and crossing his arms. “Though...there’s something different about this one.”

Off to the side, Broly climbed to his feet, growling and glaring at Cell. He opened his mouth wide, energy gathering again, only to stop as the hooded figure held up a hand. Broly cocked an eyebrow, before looking down at his target. Cell had extended his index finger of one of his hands, just barely concealed by his arm, ready to retaliate with a Death Beam.

The fighters remained motionless for what seemed like an eternity, each of them on their guard, waiting to see who would make the first move. Broly clenched his fists, impatience quickly setting in, and with a roar, he lunged forth, vanishing as Cell fired his Death Beam. He appeared above him, stomping downward. As Cell dodged to the side, he heard a familiar whizzing sound. He let out a shout, throwing his arms to the side and dissipating Krillin and Eighteen’s Kienzans with two equal bursts of ki.

The hooded figure dashed in, sweeping their leg down and knocking Cell over, only for him to vanish from sight, striking them in the temple with a lightning-fast jab. They stumbled for a moment, before spinning back around, swinging their leg up and aiming for Cell’s face. As the cyborg leaned back to avoid it, Yamhan grabbed his shoulders, spinning him around and grinding him into the dirt.

Gotenks leapt in, aiming a kick down as Cell’s head. At the last moment, Cell vanished, appearing behind him and landing an elbow to the back of his neck, sending him lurching forward. As Gotenks’ Super Saiyan glow flickered, Cell grabbed him by his hair, striking him in the teeth with his knee. Gotenks dropped, holding his mouth as blood dripped between his fingers, certain that more than a couple of teeth had been shattered.

Cell leapt out of the way as Broly tried to stomp him flat again, this time rearing back his hand and firing a Kienzan upwards, slicing off Broly’s tail. The behemoth roared in pain, his hands reaching back to grasp at the bleeding stump as he slowly began to revert back to normal.

The hooded figure appeared behind Cell, grabbing him by the prongs on his head, and planting their legs on each shoulder. With a twist and a sickening _crack!_ , the stranger snapped Cell’s neck, rendering him at least temporarily immobile. They leapt off of his shoulders, bringing their hands up in front of them and forming a large ball of energy. Broly leapt out of the way, Yamhan grabbing Gotenks by the vest and following the behemoth.

“ _CHERRY BULLET!_ ”

Cell could barely react in time as the energy ball soared towards him, striking him square in the chest. A bright burst of light radiated out from the cyborg, engulfing the entirety of Parsley City, and stretching forth past him. Bra squinted as the light began to fade, her vision now obscured by dust. She turned to the hooded figure as they shifted their feet, smoke coming off of their hands.

The two stared at one another for a moment, before Vegeta broke the silence with, “It’s called the Light Grenade.”

Bra glanced at him, confused, as the figure jolted, turning to face him fully. “N-No, this is a completely different move!”

“No. It isn’t. It’s the goddamn Light Grenade.”

“SHUT UP IT’S TOTALLY DIFFERENT!”

The figure suddenly went sprawling forward as Cell appeared behind them, landing a kick to their back. “No, the prince is right.” He mocked. “It really is the Light Grenade.” They flipped onto their feet, firing a ki blast at Cell to create a cover of dust.

Cell stood completely still, focusing hard on locating the stranger’s energy. He struck out to his left, catching Yamhan in the cheek. He spun around, landing a kick to Bra’s leg, sending her to the ground. He raised his foot up above her head, ready to stomp, before spinning back around, roundhousing Vegeta right in the throat, giving Bra a chance to roll away.

Finally, he found his true target: with a flourish, he fired a Makankosappo to his right, slicing a gash through their jumpsuit as they just barely sidestepped the attack. Cell dashed forward, grabbing the stranger by the hood, and yanking their disguise off. He snickered, pumping energy into his fist and incinerating the cloak. “Now, let’s see who this little Piccolo wannabe really is…”

He was greeted by a viridian face, piercing red eyes boring a hole into his own. Their antennae twitched frantically, electricity sparking out and engulfing Cell, paralyzing him just long enough for them to dash in, punching him hard in the gut. The monster retched, trying desperately to keep the contents of his stomach from coming back up.

Vegeta’s eyes widened as he saw Cell’s expression, and without missing a beat, he turned to his daughter, “Bra! NOW!”

Bra nodded, powering up as far as she could, soaring in and landing a second punch to Cell’s midsection, both blowing a hole clean through him, and finally forcing him to vomit, the capsule flying out in a spill of viscera. Bra scrunched up her nose in disgust for just a moment, before reluctantly snatching up the capsule and flying back towards her father.

“Here!” She all but threw the little pill to Vegeta, cringing as she removed her gloves and threw them to the side. “Ew, ew, ew, that was _so_ nasty…”

Cell, in the meantime, had begun to revert to his previous form, his Freeza motif remaining. “Y-You…!” He snarled, glaring daggers at the group. “This...This is far from over!” With a roar of fury, he took to the sky, the backdraft blowing the group over onto their backs. Light sparked around Cell as he cupped his hands at his side. “I’ll...I’ll destroy every last one of you! I’LL REDUCE ALL OF YOU TO DUST!”

Purple and blue and black all arced through the air around him, a massive ball of ki forming in his palms. The group could only watch in horror as his power increased, his aura growing larger and larger in tandem with the attack forming in his hands. Bra snapped out of her shock, quickly throwing her arms back, purple energy gathering in her own palms. Debris began to lift up off of the ground, gravitating into the sky towards Cell.

“Have a little taste of Freeza and Goku combined! **_DEATH KAMEHAMEHA!_ ** ”

Bra cried out in desperation as the massive beam barrelled towards the ground, firing her Galick Gun directly at the attack. At first, the two seemed to be completely even, struggling for control in a stalemate, but it was quickly made apparent that one was far, far, weaker.

Although she hadn’t realized it, Bra had used up her ki in charging the attack, and her Super Saiyan 3 luster faded, leaving her in her base form and struggling to push back an attack several times more powerful than her own. Cell cackled euphorically, the black-and-blue beam pushing Bra’s away with ease, drawing closer and closer with each passing second.

Bra could feel the malicious energy gaining ground, her own energy rebounded back into her arms, pain sparking back into her shoulders and spine, threatening to blow her arms clean off. She screamed in rage and despair, pushing and pushing as hard as she could.

And her Galick Gun broke.

She stumbled backwards as her own attack blew up in her face, Cell’s beam pushing through with little effort. Bra recovered as fast as she could, throwing her hands forward and catching the attack head-on, even as it tore through the skin on her palms, her nerves screaming in agony. She could feel it burning her hands to a crisp, the heat reaching her bones. She could feel her hairs being singed, her breath becoming raspy and labored as her lungs began to shrivel.

_It burns._

She could feel her elbows creaking, giving way under the weight.

_I’m freezing._

Her body was screaming for her to stop, to let go, to surrender.

_Everything hurts._

Every single nerve in her body was attacking her brain, begging, pleading, crying for the pain to stop.

_I can’t feel a thing._

She had begun to go numb, and even her sobs had dried up.

_It’s so bright._

She could barely see through the flashing of light, her corneas burning, as though she were staring directly into the sun.

_It’s getting so dark…_

“ _Don’t give up!_ ”

Bra’s eyes snapped open, ignoring the blistering pain. That voice…

“ _Come on…_ ”

A hand reached forward, placing itself upon hers.

“ _I’m here, so you don’t have to worry._ ”

Bra could feel her energy returning a little bit at a time, the warmth around her turning to a comforting one.

“ _Show this creep what Bra Briefs can do!_ ”

With a roar of fury, Bra’s hair spiked outward once more, becoming golden for just long enough for her to push back against the Kamehameha, her Galick Gun regaining its shape. In seconds, the attacks were neck-and-neck again, and Bra was quickly taking the lead. Cell snarled in disbelief, his attack slowly but surely rebounding back into him.

And with one final shout, Bra flew backwards, the last bit of her energy powering up her beam, overtaking Cell’s and engulfing him in purple light. Cell let out a scream of agony as he was torn apart, carried into the stratosphere. Bra skidded along the dirt, her hair returning to its blue color, her chest heaving in a mix of relief and exhaustion.

She let out a dry laugh, tears escaping from the corners of her eyes, she opened her eyes, looking from side to side, expecting to see...She felt her chest ache. She had been there, with her. She knew she’d been. Vegeta stepped to her side, a smirk on his face.

“Not bad.” He praised, kneeling down and patting her shoulder. “Not bad at all. You okay?”

Bra nodded, another dry chuckle tearing itself from her throat. “Yeah...I’m fine…” She gulped back her tears. “Where’s...where’s Pan?” Vegeta gave her a quizzical look, and she craned her neck around, her vision blurry and spotty. “I know she was here...I know it…”

Vegeta shushed her, scooping her up into an embrace. “Come on, let’s get you patched up.” Bra nodded, tired, in pain, and just wanting to rest. With as much effort as she could muster, she threw her fist in the air, the stars twinkling above as though to celebrate their victory.

Even if their victory was short-lived.

With a loud _thud!_ , Cell plummeted back to the ground, landing in a heap opposite Bra. Vegeta grit his teeth as Cell pushed himself up. The rest of the Z-Fighters crowded around them, as though trying to form a protective shield around Bra.

“Dammit…” Vegeta bared his teeth, panic rising in his chest as he put the pieces together. “His Zenkai Boost...this...this can’t be happening…!” Cell glared at them all, eyes darting from one to the other.

The corners of his lips turned upwards, the cogs turning in his head. “So, which one will it be this time?” He lifted his arms to the side, as if taunting them. “Which of you maggots are willing to sacrifice yourself to try and take me down?” His glare settled on Bra. “Which of you is dumb enough to try the same thing that pathetic cripple tried?”

The battlefield grew quiet, save for the howling wind. Bra clenched her fists, baring her teeth. Cell smirked in success; he’d pushed just the right button. She would get angry, he knew, she would get angry and let her guard down, absorbed in her desire for revenge, absorbed in her desire to punish him for tarnishing her friend’s name, absorbed right into his stomach, making him even more powerful. And once Buu was back in his possession…

Bra took a step forward, squaring her shoulders. She took another step, and another, stomping towards him, bloodlust, flames of rage and hatred flickering in her blue -- no, they’d turned cyan once more -- eyes.

“Stop--!” Vegeta cried out, making a move to stop her, only for the ground before him to erupt, Bra aiming a hand backwards, before continuing her march towards Cell. Vegeta watched in horror as she got nearer and nearer, shoulders shaking in fear, of Cell, of Bra, _for_ Bra. “Bra, you stop right now and come back here!”

And she did stop. She stopped, mere centimeters away from the beast that had caused them so much strife, so much grief. She raised a hand, stabbing him in the chest with her index finger, punctuating each word: “You. Do _not_. Talk. About. Pan.”

Cell let out a laugh, his tail lashing out from behind him, opening up and snatching her up whole. Vegeta’s mouth hung open in shock as his daughter was absorbed, the lump in Cell’s tail struggling and squirming in vain, being pulled further and further into the monster’s back. With a low gulping sound, Bra was finally pulled into Cell’s stomach.

At first, nothing happened. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what would happen. Waiting to see what kind of demon Cell could become with the power of a Super Saiyan 3 at his disposal. Waiting to see what would become of Bra.

The air around Cell burned, sparks arcing across his body. His ki was rising, the air pulsing outward, forcing the Z-Fighters to brace themselves. He began to chuckle, growing into a cackle that seemed to rock the very Earth itself. The buildings around them were beginning to crumble, the windows shattering. Vegeta swallowed hard, breathing heavily. “We’re _fucked_ …”

And a fist flew right through Cell’s sternum.

His chest exploded in viscera, the fist protruding from his core. “Huh…?” He muttered, eyes wide mid-laugh. The fist retreated, another punch breaking through his stomach. As it pulled back, Vegeta could make out the familiar face of his daughter, eyes steely and determined, locked with his. “Y-You…!” Cell gurgled, blood dribbling down his chin. “H-How...How are you still--?!”

Bra smirked, gathering as much of her energy into her core as she could, glowing brighter and brighter. “Bye, Cell. Don’t come back.”

Cell’s body began to flake apart, turning to dust as Bra’s energy exploded, engulfing the entirety of Parsley City in light and heat and energy. Vegeta cried out in horror as she vanished in the epicenter of the explosion, the light blinding the rest of the group as they were blown back. Cell screamed in agony and rage as he finally began to disintegrate. His cells were being destroyed, every last one.

\--

Minutes passed before the light finally died down, leaving Parsley City in complete disarray, a massive crater left where Cell and Bra had once been. Vegeta pushed himself up, hobbling over to the crater as fast as he could, eyes searching desperately for his daughter.

“Dad!” Trunks called out, running up to him. The rest of the Z-Fighters soon followed, gathering around them. “Dad, where’s--?”

Vegeta ignored his question, drifting towards the center of the crater, looking left and right for any trace of Bra. Finally, he stopped, catching sight of a familiar blue head of hair, laying in the dirt and dust. He hurried over, the rest of the group not far behind.

He knelt down, scooping Bra up into his arms, shaking her desperately. For a moment, he thought back to just a few weeks ago, back to what had happened to Pan, and his heart dropped. “Bra, Bra, please…” He pleaded, throwing away his pride as he tapped her cheek. “Wake up...Please, wake up…”

To his relief, Bra groaned, wincing in pain as her eyelids fluttered open. “D...Dad…?”

Vegeta nodded, thankful that she wasn’t...he shook the thought away. “It’s alright, Bra. You got him.” He turned to Uub. “Do we have any Senzu beans left?”

Uub opened his satchel, rooting around for a moment. “Damn, sorry. We’re out.”

“No worries…” Bra mumbled, trying to put on a grin. “I’m a Saiyan...I’ll power through this on my own.” She climbed to her feet slowly, her bones creaking as she groaned in discomfort. “Never been...better…” She turned to the side, eyes settling on Dennish, who was standing at the edge of the crater, watching her in confusion. “Sorry, I...I need to clear something up…”

She lifted into the air, drifting towards Dennish, as Vegeta turned in the direction of the stranger who had helped them. “Speaking of clearing something up--Hey! Where’d he go?!” Indeed, the Namek had vanished without a trace. Vegeta tried to sense their energy, to no avail.

Bra floated down, landing before Dennish, rubbing her arm sheepishly as she tried to study his expression. “So…” She began, voice wavering. “I, ah...I guess I’ve got some explaining to do…”

Dennish shook his head. “N-No, you...you really don’t have to--”

“No.” Bra stopped him, sighing. “I really do…”

\--

Dennish held his forehead in his hands, Bra’s words sinking in and taking root in his brain. “So, you’re...an alien. You, and your dad, and brother...and Pan and her family...You’re all aliens.”

Bra shrugged. “In a technical sense, I guess. Trunks, Pan, her uncle and dad and I, we were all born here on Earth.” She wiped at her cheek, nervously. “Guess it goes without saying that my dad didn’t really come from Jingle Village...And that he wasn’t trained here on Earth.”

He chuckled, just as nervous as she was. “He did seem a bit out of my league...Or anyone’s league, for that matter.” He sighed. “Guess this means I’m...not gonna be able to beat him in a fight, huh?”

“You just leave him to me.” Bra placed her hand on his. “He can’t run my life forever.” After a moment, the implications of his words reached her brain. “You’re...not freaked out by all this?”

“Are you kidding? What sane person wouldn’t be?” Dennish chuckled, stopping when he caught sight of her hurt expression. “Sorry. It’s just...a lot to take in. But I don’t think it’s enough to steer me away, if that’s any consolation.” He paused, glancing back to the group as they finally began to fly out of the crater. “Where is Pan, anyway? She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would let you fight alone...or before her, to be honest.”

Bra breathed in through her nose. “She’s...dead.”

Dennish turned to her in shock and horror. “What?! O-oh jeez, um…”

“It’s fine.” Bra held up a hand, waving away his concerns. “She’ll be back. Dragon Balls, remember?” Dennish scratched the back of his neck, having forgotten her explanation already. “Listen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but...could you please keep quiet about all this?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Erm...sure, I guess, but I’m not sure how you’re gonna cover up all the damage to Parsley City…” He looked to the side, where Broly’s enormous severed tail lay. “And uh... _that_.”

Bra shrugged. “Earth tends to make up excuses for this kinda crap all the time. They’ll probably say it was a power plant explosion or something.” She let out a little snort. “Remember, they all still think Mr. Satan beat both Cell _and_ Buu…”

Dennish chuckled as well, looking around. “Yeah...Well, if I’m gonna keep this a secret, I should...probably get going…Don’t wanna get hounded by journalists or something, I hate lying to people’s faces.”

“No worries.” Bra smiled, giving him a quick hug. “I’d kiss you goodbye, but, well, don’t want my dad going Super Saiyan on you.” Dennish’s face paled slightly as he chuckled nervously, waving as he walked away, sticking to the shadows of the wrecked buildings. Just as he’d predicted, the Z-Fighters could hear the incoming clamor of cameras, reporters, and so on.

“We should make ourselves scarce.” Tenshinhan took to the air, keeping his aura hidden. “C’mon, Chiaotzu.” His friend nodded, waving goodbye to the group as he followed Tenshinhan into the air.

The Z-Fighters scattered, flying away and heading to their respective homes. Vegeta turned to Bra, whose eyelids had grown heavy. He patted her shoulder, drawing her attention. “I’m proud of you, Bra. Killing Cell couldn’t have been easy. For a native-born Saiyan the only issue would be one of power differential, but...I get the feeling your concerns are more morality-based.”

Bra shook her head. “Yeah, it...It helped to...to remember that he’s the reason Pan is…” Her shoulders twitched, tears building in the corners of her eyes. “I’m...I’m tired, Dad…”

“I know, Bra.” Vegeta wrapped an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to rest her head in the crook of his neck. “I know.”

They finally landed after what felt like hours, walking through the front door of Capsule Corp. Not five seconds later, and Bulma was in front of them, running forth and wrapping her family in a tight hug. “Thank Dende…” She sobbed, pulling them as close as she could. “Thank the gods you’re all okay…” Broly looked around, excluded from the hug, before shrugging and wandering past her inside.

Bra flinched under her grasp, pain shooting through her core. “M-Mom, I appreciate the concern, but…please let go.”

Bulma nodded, backing off and looking the the three up and down. “I’m just...glad, is all. I worry about you three whenever a new threat pops up, but knowing it was _Cell_ , I...I was really scared, this time.”

“We’re fine.” Bra waved away her concerns, succeeding only in making her mother worry more as she caught sight of her daughter’s blistered and singed hands. Bra quickly hid her palms away, shuffling past Bulma towards the stairs. “I’m, uh...gonna go upstairs...Shower, go to bed…”

“Not so fast, young lady.” Bulma interrupted, grabbing Bra by the ear. “Don’t think you’re getting out of your colorful remark earlier tonight.”

“Mo-om!” Bra groaned, cringing.

Bulma turned to Vegeta. “And you! Do you have any idea how your language and behavior is affecting our daughter? She’s starting to throw around curse words like a drunken Saiyan sailor!”

“I know, I couldn’t be more proud…” Vegeta trailed off as Bulma fumed, smoke practically flying from her ears. “Oh, come on, woman! So she’s expanding her vocabulary, so the fuck what?!”

“Vegeta!”

“It’s just a word, Mom.” Trunks held up his hands, trying to deescalate the situation. “So long as she’s not throwing ‘fuck’ around nonstop--”

“Trunks!”

Broly popped his head into the room, looking between the bickering family. “...Fuck.”

“Broly, come _ON!_ ”

“For gods’ sakes, calm the hell down!” Vegeta barked. “What is the big fucking deal?!”

“You are the reason I consider implementing a swear jar in this fucking house!”

"Mom!" "Woman!"

Seeing her opportunity, Bra crept up the stairs, leaving her family in the lobby. She sighed as she walked into the locker room, opening her locker and tossing in her ruined clothing; she’d sew them back up later. She grabbed a towel, stepping into the shower, and letting the water rinse the dust and grime away before reaching for a bar of soap.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to what had happened not an hour earlier. Freeza had been killed along with Cell, meaning they were one more fighter down against Lacus. Vegeta still had Buu’s capsule, so someone would need to bring that back to Kami’s Lookout tomorrow. She clenched a fist. How could Dende have not noticed Cell sneak into the Room of Spirit and Time? He was so getting a piece of her mind.

And then there was the strange Namek who had arrived to help them. They knew Piccolo’s moves, even if they tried to hide it with false names. They knew how to track Cell. They knew _about_ Cell.

Bra opened her eyes as she shut the water off, vision still blurry from the fighting earlier. She rubbed one of them, trying to clear her sight, to no avail. “Dammit...I hope I don’t need glasses…”

She wrapped her towel around herself, walking back to her locker and pulling out a fresh pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She dried off, dressed up, and stepped into the hallway, making her way to her room. She flopped down onto her bed face-first, eager for sleep.

It wouldn’t come for the remainder of the night.

\--

It was finally time. Weeks had gone by since the Cell fiasco, and Bra grinned as she finally spotted the orange glint in the grass of the wastelands, floating down and plucking the seventh and final Dragon Ball from the ground. Eagerly, she flew back towards Capsule Corp., waving as the rest of the Z-Fighters landed in the courtyard, the other six crystal balls resting on the ground.

Bra placed the final ball in the center, grinning as they began to glow in unison. She glanced around the group, smiles all around, before raising her hands up. “Come on out, Shenron!”

As expected, the serpent-like dragon soared out of the center of the balls, twisting through the air before facing them all.

“ **_You have summoned me, the Eternal Dragon...State your wish…_ ** ”

“First, bring back the two people killed by cyborgs ‘B’ and ‘A’ under the command of Colonel Silver, Son Gohan and Piccolo Jr.!” Bra commanded. “Next, bring back Son Pan!” Shenron’s eyes glowed bright red, indicating that he had begun to grant their wishes. “And finally--!”

Before she could finish, Shenron’s eyes turned dark, and the Dragon Balls began to lose their luster, turning to stone as the dragon began to turn to dust. Bra watched in horror as their final wish went unheard, Shenron drifting away in the wind.

“Was...Was that supposed to happen?” ‘A’ asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Because memory indicates that that did not happen before.”

Bra’s blood ran cold as the implications of what had just occurred sank in. “We need to get to the Lookout.” She turned to the rest of the group. “We need to get to the Lookout, now!”

\--

The Z-Fighters zipped through the air, wind whipping their faces as they drew closer to the Lookout. They couldn’t sense anyone, no Dende, no Mr. Popo, nobody. They swerved onto the surface, Bra taking barely even a single step before halting, her blood running cold once more.

A purple liquid was smeared across the normally-pristine bricks haphazardly, the temple covered in cracks and holes. Dende’s staff lay in the center of the Lookout, alongside a green, four-fingered hand. Bra looked away from the sight, surveying the rest of the platform.

“What the hell happened here…?” Uub murmured, disgust boiling within his chest. “Who could have done this…?”

Bra closed her eyes, trying to focus on the energy around her. Nothing seemed out of place, aside from Dende and Mr. Popo’s absence. If anyone was still there, they were hiding their ki, and doing a damn good job of it.

“Keep your eyes peeled.” Vegeta ordered, stepping further onto the Lookout. “If you find anyone aside from Dende or Popo, don’t be afraid to fry them.”

The group scattered, searching around and inside the temple, Uub going so far as to peek into the Room of Spirit and Time to make sure Buu hadn’t escaped and no one was hiding there.

About thirty minutes later, after searching every nook and cranny of the place, they regrouped on the outside, empty-handed. “I just don’t get it…” Krillin muttered, crossing his arms in thought. “We couldn’t even find any bodies. Hell, Mr. Popo almost never leaves unless Kami or Dende ask him to, and...well, he’s not usually one for the ‘bad guys’ to worry about…”

Bra glanced at Broly, studying his expression; blank, as usual. “Broly...do...do you think it was Lacus?”

“Why would it be Lacus?” Marron asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Broly’s had a run-in with them before.” Bra explained. “When we first met him, he told us that his father was killed by something that could ‘rip holes in reality’, right? Well, this feels like a pretty big ‘hole’ in reality.”

Broly looked around, before shaking his head. “If it were Lacus...they would have annihilated the whole planet at once...and then some...”

Bra rubbed at her eye, her sight still having not recovered. Out of the corner, she could just barely make out a blur moving from around the side of the temple, and she stepped around Broly to get a better look. “Who’s that?”

The rest of the group turned as well, spotting Mr. Popo, watching them from the shadows of the temple, striding closer. “Mr. Popo?” Uub grinned, relieved to see their friend alive and safe. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you and Dende. What happened here?”

But he did not respond, eyes wider than usual, almost as though he were in shock, or afraid. “Please...Please, don’t hurt them…” He mumbled, trembling slightly.

“Mr. Popo?” Uub took a step forward, his grin fading as concern took the place of his relief. “What’s wrong? Who are you talking to?”

The bricks in front of Uub erupted, forcing him to take a step back, shielding his face from the explosion. Mr. Popo was pointing at the scorch mark, shaking in fear. “Please, no...Don’t hurt them…” He pleaded again, as though some unseen force were looming over him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Eighteen scowled, getting into stance as he stepped closer. “Hey, don’t you recognize us?!”

“I’m sorry...I’m so, so sorry…” He took another step, a purple aura flaring up around him as red marks appeared on his cheeks and brow, trailing from his eyes down to under his chin. “Please, please leave!” The Z-Fighters watched in horror as his aura grew, his eyes turning red, lines drawing themselves into his pupils, like a crosshair.

“Mr. Popo, stop, you need to snap out of it--!” Trunks cried out, only to falter as the ground erupted again, electricity arcing through the air.

“Please, don’t hurt my friends anymore, Baby…”


	11. Vengeance

The Lookout was engulfed in explosions, beams and ki blasts flying every which way. Mr. Popo continued to plead with whatever was controlling him, begging for it to stop. “What do we do?” Bra turned to Vegeta as they took cover behind one of the pillars of the temple. “In any normal fight we could just punch our way out, but…”

Vegeta stroked his chin in thought. “If we can’t kill him, then our next best option is to get in close and just knock him out.” He peeked out as Mr. Popo was busy firing at Gotenks, and with a burst of speed, Vegeta dashed in, aiming a punch for his head.

Mr. Popo dodged swiftly to the side, grabbing Vegeta’s wrist and flipping him over. As Vegeta hit the ground, he grabbed Mr. Popo’s wrist in turn, and rolled over, pulling him down with him. He bounded onto his feet, before jumping up and somersaulting, aiming a kick for his opponent’s stomach. Mr. Popo vanished, appearing behind Vegeta and sweeping his legs out from under him.

Bra appeared behind him, and with a shout, sent Mr. Popo flying halfway across the Lookout with a shockwave. She followed after him, fists flying rapidly as he blocked every last one. She ducked down to avoid a counterpunch, before leaping back up and landing an uppercut to his jaw.

He quickly snapped back from it, headbutting her and forcing her to stumble to the side, holding her head. She reared a hand back, firing an energy wave at him, only to stare in shock as he just opened his mouth, sucking it in as though it were a noodle.

As she was caught off-guard, Mr. Popo raised a hand up, firing a shockwave into her and sending her sprawling across the tiled bricks, scraping her chin as she slid. He made a move to jump after her, only for Uub to jump in the way, grappling against him and looking him in the eye.

“Mr. Popo, you have to stop! Why are you doing this?!”

“I’m sorry, so, so, sorry…” He sobbed dryly, his red eyes glowing slightly as he pushed harder against Uub. “Please believe me, I’m not myself!” With a grunt, he lifted Uub up into the air, one hand grabbing the collar of his gi, the other grabbing his belt. He began to spin around, faster and faster, before rearing back and slamming him face-first into the ground.

Vegeta jumped back into the fray, grabbing Mr. Popo by the face and firing a ki blast, knocking him over onto his back. He pushed himself back up, catching Vegeta’s fist as he aimed a punch for his face. Vegeta pulled his caught hand back towards him, lifting up his elbow and slamming it into Mr. Popo’s nose.

As he recoiled, Vegeta swung his leg around, hitting him in the side, before following up by charging into him, tackling him and holding him up against the Temple’s wall. He aimed a fist for Mr. Popo’s face, instead making contact with the stone as Mr. Popo bent his neck to the side.

Mr. Popo placed both feet against the wall, pushing off and slamming Vegeta back-first into the ground, a loud  _ crak! _ echoing as his head hit the bricks. With a flip, Mr. Popo grabbed Vegeta by the collar, throwing him into Uub.

Gotenks came flying in from the side, punching him in the cheek and finally knocking him unconscious. The red marks disappeared from his cheeks and brow as he hit the ground, his eyes returning to normal. Gotenks squared his jaw, wincing. “Sorry, Mr. Popo.”

“Find something to tie him up with.” Vegeta ordered, pushing himself onto his feet. “Quick, before he wakes up and we have to go through this again.” Gotenks nodded, taking a glance at the cut that had formed on their fallen friend’s cheek.

As the group reconvened behind him, Gotenks took a second to kneel down, looking closer at the wound. It looked like there was something underneath the skin, something silver, and wriggling about, almost as though…

\--

Mr. Popo groaned as he came to, finding not only his hands tied behind his back, but also his arms bound to his sides. “So,” He looked up to see the group around him, Vegeta crouched in front of him and glaring, “mind explaining what your little fit was all about, Popo?”

“Yes, I...I’m so sorry…” He grit his teeth, the memory painful. “Dende and I, we were attacked...He cut off Dende’s arm and entered the wound, and took over his body. I tried to stop him, but he...he jumped into my body next, and forced me to...to…” A sob escaped his lips, trailing off.

“Who is ‘he’?” Bra asked, gently. “Who attacked you?”

Mr. Popo took a breath. “His name is Baby. He’s...he said he was something called a Tsuffle. He…” He raised his eyes, looking from Vegeta to Bra. “He came here to...to exterminate the Saiyans…”

“A Tsuffle…” Vegeta muttered, scratching his temple. “Impossible, the Tsuffles were wiped out over half a century ago. They’re extinct. And even if this were a Tsuffle we were dealing with, last time I checked, they can’t take over people’s bodies.”

Bra cocked an eyebrow. “Dad? What’s a Tsuffle?”

Vegeta’s brow furrowed. “Nothing you need to worry about, Bra. Just a ghost story.”

“That is what he told me.” Mr. Popo lowered his gaze. “If he is not a Tsuffle, I don’t know what he is.”

“Well, have him come out, then!” Vegeta scowled. “Hey! Baby! If you have a bone to pick with a Saiyan, stop hiding behind someone else and come fight me yourself! I’m right here!”

Mr. Popo stared for a moment, before his mouth opened, his eyes widening in horror. “Oh...Oh no…” He looked Vegeta in the eye. “He’s not in my body anymore...He escaped.”

“What?” Vegeta growled, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. “Well, where is he, then?!”

“I...I don’t know…”

Vegeta turned to the rest of the group. “Spread out, he couldn’t have gone far--!”

He stopped mid-sentence, lurching as Gotenks appeared in front of him, his hand piercing into his stomach. A manic grin spread across his lips as he glared into Vegeta’s eyes. “Well? You said to come fight you. Here I am.”

With a groan and a curse, Vegeta fell over, grasping the wound as blood poured out onto the tiles. Gotenks turned to the rest of the Z-Fighters, knuckles cracking as he flexed his wrist. The same red marks from before appeared on his cheeks and brow, and his eyes became like crosshairs. His black-and-lavender hair seemed to curve forward slightly, and turned shock-white.

He glared between Bra and Broly, who got into defensive stances. “Now, who’s next?”

\--

“So, uh...What do you think is taking them so long?” Pan asked, turning to Gohan and Piccolo. The three of them were standing in a field, a city just a few miles away. They had been waiting in Heaven for about thirty minutes after being brought back to life, and were waiting for their friends to wish them back to Earth.

“I don’t know. Maybe they used three wishes to bring us back instead of including me and Piccolo in just one?” Gohan suggested, scratching his chin. “Or maybe someone took their last wish before they could make it?”

“I swear, if it was Oolong…” Piccolo groaned, holding his forehead in exasperation.

Pan bit her lip, worried. “Maybe we should find Kibito Kai and Elder Kai, maybe they’ll know what’s going on.”

“You there!” As though they had heard her, the two Kais had come flying towards them, crystal ball in Elder Kai’s hands. Pan’s face lit up for just a moment upon seeing them, before turning grim when she noticed their panicked expressions.

“What’s going on, Elder Kai?” Gohan asked, walking to meet them as they touched down.

“It’s horrible!” He wailed, placing the crystal ball on the ground and showing them what was happening.

“Is that Gotenks? What happened to Vegeta?! Why is Mr. Popo tied up?!” Pan shot out question after question, scratching her head as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Elder Kai cleared his throat. “Gotenks has been possessed by an alien creature, a Tsuffle named Baby.” He explained. “He came to Earth looking to destroy what was left of you Saiyans.”

“Why?” Pan raised an eyebrow, before realization dawned on her. “Wait, is he why we haven’t been wished back to Earth, yet?”

Elder Kai paused, before nodding, his expression dark. “Yes. He killed Dende. Your set of Dragon Balls are useless, now…”

The three looked at him, not quite believing what he had said. Gohan grit his teeth, glaring into the crystal ball at his half-brother. “Dende…”

“We have to get back there!” Pan exclaimed, a determined look in her eyes. “Our friends are in trouble!”

“Right!” Kibito Kai nodded. “Come, I’ll take you there!”

Gohan and Piccolo placed their hands on his shoulders, and Pan made to take her father’s hand, before Elder Kai grabbed the back of her gi, pulling her away as they vanished.

“Hey!” She cried out, turning around and glaring at the god. “What was that for? I have to go down there and help them!”

“Now, now, just wait a moment!” Elder Kai waved away her concerns. “You aren’t dead anymore, remember? You not only need to get accustomed to using your ki normally again, but if you go down there as you are now, you won’t be able to do a thing against Baby.”

“So what, I just stay here and cower with my tail between my legs?!”

Elder Kai paused, before letting out a chuckle. “Yes, something like that.”

\--

Gotenks dashed forward, swinging his arm down and striking Bra in the temple. She stumbled for a moment, before following the momentum and swinging her leg up and around, roundhousing Gotenks in the neck.

Broly reached out towards him, grabbing him by the vest and throwing him into the ground. Gotenks rolled backwards as Broly punched towards his chest, dodging the blow as a crater formed around his fist. He raised a hand, firing a ki blast into Broly’s face and blinding him for just long enough to dash into him, tackling him to the ground and kneeing him in the throat.

Just as he was about to crush Broly’s windpipe, a whooshing sound caught his attention, and he and the rest of the group spun around, catching sight of Gohan, Piccolo, and Kibito Kai as they appeared in the center of the platform.

“Took you long enough…” Vegeta muttered from the side, front-down as he continued to bleed out. “No, no need to worry about getting them here quickly, Kai. We’re just  _ peachy _ .”

Kibito Kai stepped over to him, ignoring his sass and kneeling down, getting to work on healing his wound. “You’re lucky Elder Kai checked up on you all when he did. If he’d been just a minute later…”

Gotenks smirked, eyes narrowing at Gohan. “Pheh...Another corpse to add to the pile when I’m done.” He glanced down at Broly, stepping off of his throat and facing the newcomers fully. “Fine. You want to die first? I’ll indulge you.”

Gohan glowered at him, fists clenched in rage. “You’re going to pay for what you did to Dende. Whatever you have against the Saiyans didn’t involve him!”

“Didn’t it, though?” Gotenks shrugged. “His Dragon Balls were what brought  _ you _ back, after all. Once I entered his memories and learned everything he’d done to help you parasites, I felt almost as sick as I feel in this disgusting body.”

“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.” Piccolo removed his headwrap and armor, throwing them to the side. “If the Saiyans are parasites, what exactly does that make you?”

Gotenks’ grin widened. “Just as Vegeta said.” He leaned forward slightly, vanishing from sight and appearing right in front of Gohan. His punch was caught at the last moment, forcing the latter back a few meters, smoke drifting off of his palm. “A ghost story.”

\--

Pan grumbled, legs crossed as Elder Kai sat before her, hands raised and energy emitting into her body. She tried to reason that this was all just to make her stronger. It would be worth it. If she passed that unspoken threshold, she might even be able to become a Super Saiyan. It should have been easy.

Unfortunately, it was hard to ignore the magazine between them, and it was even harder to ignore the god’s lecherous grin as he flipped through it.

“Can we just get to the freakin’ point?” Pan crossed her arms, her brow twitching in annoyance. “Baby isn’t going to wait for you to finish whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Patience, kid.” The Kai reprimanded, tutting her. “I won’t be able to draw out all of your power like I did with your father so long ago, but at the very least I can give you a minor boost, enough to tip the scale.”

She sighed through her nose, shutting her eyes and concentrating, her lower back itching. “ _ Hang in there, Bra. _ ”

\--

Gohan jumped to the side, avoiding a blast from the possessed Gotenks. He reared back his hand, throwing his own ki blast which Gotenks ducked under, rolling forward and springing towards him, landing a blow to his chest. Gohan doubled over, allowing Gotenks to follow up with a knee to his chin.

Piccolo rushed in, grabbing Gotenks’ arm and flipping him over, pinning him down with his foot. “You’re not getting out of this, Baby! If we must, we’ll destroy Gotenks and you along with him!” Piccolo raised his hand up, energy gathering in his palm.

Gotenks smirked, glancing up at him. “You’re bluffing.”

The Namek’s jaw clenched, having been seen through. He twitched his arm in an attempt to intimidate the parasite, and for all he knew it might have worked; a strange, silvery gelatin-like substance bubbled out of a cut on Gotenks’ forehead, leaping out like a serpent and flying onto Piccolo’s face.

He grasped at the jelly, fingers digging into it desperately as it burrowed its way into his throat, vanishing past his lips with a sickening  _ glorp _ . Gotenks’ hair returned to normal and the marks on his face vanished, transferring instead to Piccolo.

The newly-possessed Namek grinned wildly, teeth bared as he looked down at the dazed warrior under his foot. He took aim, energy gathering in his palm, only to stumble to the side as Gohan tackled him, slamming him into the tiles and allowing Gotenks to roll away.

Piccolo grabbed the front of Gohan’s gi, spinning him around and throwing him into the temple’s wall. Gohan spun out of the way as Piccolo aimed a punch for his head, making a crater in the wall. As his hand was stuck, Gohan spun with his momentum, lifting his leg up and landing a kick to the back of Piccolo’s head, forcing his face into the stone.

As his nose was bleeding, Piccolo turned to face Gohan, stretching his arm out and catching Gohan by the face, dragging him along the ground and grinding him into the bricks hard enough to draw blood. Gohan grabbed Piccolo’s wrist, and with a shout, broke his hand off from his arm. He pushed himself up, pressing a hand into his skinned arm to staunch the bleeding. Piccolo’s arm retracted, hand reforming on the end of his wrist.

Vegeta dashed in, aiming a knee for Piccolo’s stomach, missing as Piccolo bent backwards. He followed through with his kick, sweeping Piccolo off of his feet and opening an opportunity for Broly to fly in underneath him. Broly wrapped Piccolo in a bear hug, suplexing him and driving his head into the tiles.

Piccolo vanished out of Broly’s grasp, appearing above him and stomping down on his stomach, winding him. He dodged to the side as Vegeta threw a barrage of punches, opening a cut on Piccolo’s cheek. With a smirk, Baby jumped out again, latching onto Vegeta’s face and wriggling down his throat. Piccolo fell backwards, dazed, as the marks once again transferred, this time to Vegeta, whose hair became white.

With a low chuckle, he turned towards Bra, a particularly malicious idea forming. “Oh, my...That’s your daughter, Vegeta?” He held up his hand, catching a punch from Gohan. He tightened his grip, and Gohan grunted in pain as his hand was broken. Vegeta lifted him up, before slamming him back down into the ground.

He marched forth, sights trained on Bra. She shuffled her feet back, panic setting in. In an attempt to intimidate the monster, she powered up, her hair turning golden and spiking outward. It had no effect, and Vegeta just kept moving.

Broly let out a shout, grabbing Vegeta by the shoulders and trying to stop his advance. Gohan, Piccolo, and Gotenks as well made to jump in, with Uub, Krillin, and Tenshinhan forming a protective barrier of sorts around Bra. Baby, however, was not deterred. With an equally loud shout, he blasted every single one of them out of his way with a shockwave, knocking over all of the Z-Fighters, clearing a path to his target.

“I’ll make you know true pain, Vegeta.” He snickered, raising a hand, purple energy gathering at his fingertips. “Consider this payback for what your bastard of a father did,  _ Prince. _ ”

The Lookout was engulfed in light as he fired his attack at Bra, momentarily blinding the group. Smoke drifted off of his palm, as well as off of the platform where Bra had been. His shoulders shook, eyes and grin wide as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, my, are these tears, Vegeta?” He taunted, feeling the man inside beginning to break down. His pride had been tainted, his daughter killed by his hand. “Revenge is truly, truly a wonderful feeling.” The smoke was clearing fast, and his smile faltered.

Bra held her arms up in front of her face, eyes shut tight in fear. As the dust settled, she opened them, slowly, patting herself all over to make sure she was still in one piece. She raised her eyes up, expecting to see Baby looming over her, only to see a familiar head of dark brown hair, a blue-and-red cheongsam draped around the shape’s torso, a smoking Power Pole held in their hands. Her eyes grew wide, her breath catching in her throat as her heart threatened to leapt right out of her chest.

Pan glanced back to her, smirking. “Sorry I’m late, Bra.” She held out her hand. “Come on, the ground is no place for a Super Saiyan 3.”


	12. Tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Abuse, intrusive thoughts, depression, and PTSD.

Bra took the hand offered to her, catching Pan by surprise as she wrapped her in a hug. Her shoulders shook, her heart beating faster with joy and remorse and gratitude and fear as she let the tears flow freely. “I’m sorry…” She whimpered, grip tightening. “I’m so, so sorry, Pan…”

“Hey, come on.” Pan laughed softly, placing her hands on her shoulders and smiling up at her. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m here now. We’re both here.” She turned towards Vegeta, holding out her Power Pole in front of her. “Time to take out the trash.”

“You Saiyans are so much like roaches, it’s absolutely sickening.” Vegeta chuckled, getting into stance. “How many more are there? How many planets are going to keep suffering under you heartless apes?”

“Coming from someone who hides behind other people’s power.” Bra smirked, wiping at her cheek with her sleeve. “Big talk calling us heartless, Mr. ‘Kill-A-Kid-With-Their-Parent’s-Body’.”

“You call it heartless, I call it retribution.” Vegeta shrugged. “The Saiyans have caused enough suffering. They started with us Tsuffles, and now look. How many times has this planet alone been put in danger because of you monkeys? How many others around the galaxy have been tortured and destroyed?”

Pan raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? This is the first time I’ve heard anything about Tsuffles, and Saiyans have been  _ saving _ this planet for years!”

Vegeta snickered, sending a chill through the air. “Ha, ‘saving’. The only thing you’ve done is ‘save’ this world from threats that you brought yourselves. Freeza and his ilk? They came here looking to finish a job. Cell? Created to enact vengeance upon a Saiyan. Buu? He was brought out of hibernation by the violence you Saiyans are predisposed to.” His smirk grew slightly. “And oh, the Tsuffles. If you’ve not heard of us, Vegeta must not have taught you much about Saiyan history. Ironic, considering how proud he is of it.”

“Then tell us what happened.” Bra suggested, wary. “What did we do to you?”

The possessed Saiyan closed his eyes, crossing his arms. “Long, long ago, there existed a peaceful race on a planet called Plant. Their technology was advanced, their methods nonviolent. They were completely docile.” His brow furrowed. “But, another race existed on Plant. They were the exact opposite, it was like night and day. They were primitive, brutal and ferocious, and, under the lead of a man who would one day become their crowned king, they wiped out the peaceful race.” He tapped his ear. “Not only that, but their technology was stolen. Remodeled into what you know as ‘Scouters’. They went on to use that technology, the results of generations of peaceful research, to seek out and destroy entire civilizations.”

The Z-Fighters stared, the knowledge sinking in. Pan’s knuckles turned white as she gripped her weapon. “Yeah, right. I’m sure your account isn’t biased in the least. So the Saiyans just up and decided to wipe out the Tsuffles unprompted?”

Vegeta shrugged. “Is it really so hard to believe? Think, everything you know about Saiyans, every encounter you’ve had with Vegeta here, the territorial behavior, the bloodlust, the insistence on outclassing and subjugating others.” His eyes narrowed. “After all of that, can you really still say that I’m biased?”

Pan squared her jaw, thinking. It wasn’t too outlandish a story, all things considered. She had always attributed Vegeta’s stand-offish behavior to just something about him specifically, but even he had admitted on more than one occasion that Saiyans were a ‘warrior’ race. Even so…

“Then what about you?” She asked. “Dende was hardly a threat to you, and you killed him regardless! Sounds pretty hypocritical to go after the Saiyans for senseless violence when you’re not much better.”

“He was an ally to your cause.” Vegeta reasoned, smirk unwavering. “If he had been wise enough to steer clear of you all, his fate would have been much, much different.”

“Undoubtedly.” Piccolo scowled. “He would have died on Namek by Freeza’s hand. The Saiyans have already paid in blood for their crimes, Baby. What would exterminating the rest of them accomplish?”

Vegeta glanced at him. “You’re not very good at paying attention, are you? I’m not just doing this out of some misguided revenge scheme, Piccolo. This isn’t some pointless boon. I’m not doing this to bring back the Tsuffles.” He clenched a fist. “The Saiyans are a scourge on the universe. So long as they exist, there will be more planets, more people who suffer and die by their hands. I’m doing this, Piccolo, because someone  _ has _ to, before everything is brought to ruin.”

Tenshinhan and Yamcha exchanged glances, nodding to one another. The moment Baby made his move, they were fusing. The Lookout was silent, the tension in the air thick enough to make one gag. Vegeta’s eyes surveyed the group, eyes settling on Gohan, then on Broly, then Bra, Gotenks, Pan. He bared his teeth in a grin, and in the blink of an eye, landed a punch to Gohan’s midsection, forcing him to double over.

He raised his knee up, striking him in the chin hard enough to draw blood. As Gohan stumbled back, Piccolo extended his arm, grabbing Vegeta by the collar of his battle suit and slamming him into the tiles. Yamhan appeared above him, aiming down a kick, only for Vegeta to roll out of the way, swinging his lower body around and sweeping him off his feet.

Pan and Bra rushed in, the latter of the two powering up as the former put on a burst of speed, circling around behind him and attacking from both the front and back. Vegeta dodged back and forth, every punch they threw missing, every kick blocked. He jumped into the air, causing the two to punch each other, Bra in the chin, Pan in the nose.

While they were stunned, he dropped back down, striking them both simultaneously in the head with his elbows and forcing them face-first to the ground. He leaned backwards, avoiding a swing from Broly’s fist. He grabbed his wrist, flipping Broly over his head and sticking his upper half in the stone.

Uub appeared in front of him, crouched, before leaping up and landing a solid punch to his chin. As he was stunned, he dashed forward, tackling Vegeta and forcing him to the ground, elbowing him in the solar plexus. Vegeta let out a grunt of pain, doubling over as Uub reared back his leg for a kick. He regained his breath just in time to vanish away from Uub’s strike, appearing off to the side.

Krillin and Eighteen rushed in, grabbing his arms and pinning him against a tree, holding his hands behind the trunk. Marron formed a small Kienzan in her palm, throwing it forward, aiming for Vegeta’s cheek.

He smirked, dodging his head to the side. As the disc nicked the trunk, he pulled forward, not only pulling Krillin and Eighteen with him, but uprooting the tree itself. He spun around, the group ducking out of the way of the tree’s arc, before flexing his pectorals and slamming Krillin and Eighteen face-first into one another. He grabbed the tree, lifting it high and bringing it back down hard enough to shatter the bricks as Marron dodged out of the way.

Vegeta swerved to the side, dodging the Power Pole as Pan aimed at his stomach. He grabbed hold of the staff, swinging Pan around and flinging her off of the Lookout. She corrected herself in mid-drop, surrounding herself in red aura as she shouted, “Kaio-Ken!”, dashing back towards him. He took aim himself, the end of the pole extending to meet her.

She swung around to avoid the blow, twisting around it like a corkscrew and landing a punch to Vegeta’s nose, breaking it and sending him falling backwards as Bra placed herself behind his legs, tripping him.

He fell over, smacking his head against the stone and knocking himself unconscious. Pan and Bra both straightened up, the latter backing away and watching him warily. “Get away from him, Pan!” Piccolo warned. “He can change bodies through wounds!”

His warning came a moment too late, however, and Pan stumbled back as the silvery goop leapt onto her face, choking her. She bit down, hard, trying to stop Baby from taking control. In desperation, she let out a shout, a burst of energy from her mouth blowing Baby away. He landed with a  _ splat! _ halfway across the Lookout, slithering away towards the edge.

Pan fell onto her rear, holding her throat in discomfort as Bra hurried to her side. “Get back here!” Uub shouted, hurrying after the blob. Baby sped up, dropping off of the side and plummeting to the Earth below. Uub looked over the side, trying to spot him. When that failed, he shut his eyes, trying to sense his energy, to no avail. “Dammit, he got away!”

Piccolo crossed his arms. “Don’t worry, he’ll show up again eventually.” A bead of sweat formed on his brow. “I just hope he doesn’t kill anyone before we find him.”

Bra pulled Pan to her feet. “You okay?” Pan nodded, coughing. Bra grinned, wrapping her friend in another hug. “I...I really missed you, Pan.”

The shorter girl hugged back, burying her face in Bra’s shoulder. “I missed you too...I’m glad you’re okay, and...I’m sorry that I couldn’t beat Cell...”

“No, it’s okay.” Bra reassured her, patting her back. “It’s alright, you did what you could…” She relaxed into Pan’s grasp, finding comfort in her arms, all three of them.

She opened her eyes, going back over her thoughts. Something wasn’t right. She released Pan, eyes studying her. She rubbed them again, eyesight still blurry, trying to pick out what it was that was different. Had she imagined it? Then, she saw a brown, blurry shape, coiling out from her friend’s lower back and reaching out to her, wrapping itself around her waist.

It had been hidden by her cheongsam, but Bra couldn’t mistake it for anything else: a tail.

Pan flinched, her tail retracting as her face turned red in embarrassment. “S-Sorry…” She cleared her throat. “I’m...not really used to having this thing yet.”

The appendage didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the Z-Fighters, however, and Gohan took a step towards her. “H...How…?”

“Elder Kai.” Pan explained. “He said that he was gonna try and give me at least a bit of a power boost so I could help against Baby. I’m not sure if the tail was an intentional side-effect or not, but at the very least I do feel a bit stronger.”

“For gods’ sakes, the least you can do is wrap it.” Vegeta muttered, pushing himself up and trying to set his broken nose. “What good is having a tail if you just leave it out for someone to cut off?” Pan shuddered as he finally fixed his nose with a crack.

“I would, but it’s a bit short…” She tried to wrap her tail around her waist to demonstrate, the appendage just barely passing her opposite side.

Vegeta strode past her, joining Uub at the edge of the platform and looking down. “Little snot…”

The rest of the group walked over, ready to start talking strategy, before Bra asked, “Dad, what...was what Baby said true?” Vegeta was silent for a moment, before nodding. Bra lowered her gaze, disheartened.

Pan stepped in to try and cheer her up. “It was probably a really long time ago, Bra. Vegeta probably wasn’t even alive when it happened!” She turned to him, expecting him to help.

“Well, you’re right about one thing. I hadn’t been born yet.” Vegeta sighed through his nose. “I was born two years after the war had ended.” Pan’s face dropped, reality setting in. “My father was the one who had led the Saiyans to battle. It may have been a long time ago, but it’s only been a couple of generations.”

Bra clenched her fists, her brow scrunching up. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, glaring up at him. “Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me  _ anything _ ?! I’m completely in the dark here! The only person who’s ever told me about what happened before I was born was Pan, and she wasn’t even there!”

Vegeta opened his mouth to respond, trying to find the right words. “It was all history, Bra. It didn’t concern you!”

“Didn’t concern me!” She threw her hands up in the air. “Yeah, it’s not like I’ve had to go up against Cell! He was just history! It’s not like Buu is still a lingering threat, probably ready to burst out of the Room of Spirit and Time at any moment, or better yet, someone could  _ steal _ him! He was history!”

“Bra, calm--”

“And now, hey, what the  _ fuck _ do ya know, someone is trying to kill me because I happen to be the granddaughter of a genocidal maniac I didn’t even know I was related to! But hey, it’s alright! It’s just  _ history _ !”

“Bra--”

“A history that you’ve  _ conveniently _ kept hidden from me for, what, twelve years? I’m twelve, Dad! Twelve! Twelve years and I don’t know the first godforsaken thing about the Saiyans!” She stomped over to him, index finger digging into his chest. “What else are you hiding, Dad? I want the truth!”

Vegeta squared his jaw, the two of them glaring into each other’s eyes. “The truth is…” He began, sucking in a breath. “The truth is, Bra, that Saiyans did some bad things before. We aren’t like that anymore.”

“What about you, huh?” She grit her teeth. “I wanna hear about what  _ you’ve _ done to remedy what happened in the past. Are you some paragon that led Saiyans into a peaceful nature, or are you just as much a criminal as dear ol’ granddad and his posse?”

His breath caught in his throat. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened and closed it, unable to find words. Bra could read him like a book, and her glare intensified. He cleared his throat. “It was a long time ago, Bra. I’m not that person anymore.”

She reared back a fist, punching him in the chest. “I can’t fucking  _ believe _ you!” Vegeta doubled over, the rest of the group just as shocked as he was. “So I’m not just the granddaughter of a genocidal freak, but the daughter of one as well!”

Vegeta straightened up. “Bra, just calm down!” He barked, crossing his arms. “I don’t care how angry you are, if you’re going to raise a hand to me you better be prepared for me to hit back!”

“Yeah, go right the fuck ahead!” Bra raised her arms to her sides. “I’m right here, old man! Come on, fucking do it!” When Vegeta didn’t move, she lowered her arms, disgust on her face. “Do you even understand what’s happening, Dad? Baby was right. Saiyans  _ are _ the reason Earth is constantly in danger. And now, there’s a monster hell-bent on destroying us, even if it means destroying the Earth as well. As far as I’m concerned,  _ you _ brought Baby here, and we’re all paying for it.”

He squared his jaw, eyes briefly surveying the rest of the group. All eyes were on him, and more than a few of them were angry. Upset. Disgusted. Piccolo wouldn’t even look at him. “I’m not the one who made the calls.” He tried to defend. “I had no say in the Saiyan-Tsuffle War.”

“And all the others who died by your hand?” Krillin muttered, earning a death glare.

“Watch it, there’s no Dragon Balls to bring you back.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them, and Bra squared her shoulders, rage building.

“No, Dad, he’s right. How much of your life was just going around destroying planets? How many people have died because of you? How many civilizations have been erased from history because you ‘could’?” He remained silent. “You’re just like Cell, doing whatever you want because you ‘can’.”

“I used to.” He snarled. “I don’t anymore!”

“Bullshit!” She shouted, knuckles turning white and aching. “The only thing keeping you from losing it is Mom, and Trunks, and me! If anything, I’m willing to bet that you’d be an even bigger asshole now than you were before!”

“Shut your mouth!” Vegeta roared. “You don’t know what I’ve done for this rock! You don’t know what I’ve sacrificed!”

“What, a little bit of your bullshit ‘pride’?!” She shot back. “ _ Fuck _ that!  _ Fuck _ the Saiyans!  _ Fuck _ your pride! And  _ fuck _ you!”

Before he could stop himself, he reared back a hand, punching Bra in the mouth and sending her sliding across the tiles. She curled up, sobbing and holding her face, blood seeping down her chin. Vegeta felt his shoulders relax, realization sinking in as he looked down at the back of his hand, a tooth lodged in his knuckles, blood coating his glove, some of it his, most of it hers.

His shoulders shook, a chill running down his spine. “I--”

Pan was on him in seconds, tackling him and slamming him back-first into the ground. “Son of a bitch!” She shouted, yanking herself free as Marron and Uub tried to pry her off. “I  _ warned _ you! I freaking  _ warned _ you! I’ll  _ demolish _ you, you son of a bitch bastard!” Her fists were flying, pummeling him in the face, the throat, the chest, all over his upper half.

Vegeta brought his hands up, trying to block her strikes to almost no effect. He swung a punch at her, socking her in the cheek, but only succeeding in making her angrier. She grasped at his throat, throttling him as Marron and Uub tried again to stop her. Finally Gohan stepped in, pulling her off even as she struggled to get free.

“Let me go, Dad!” She screamed, wriggling madly as she tried to pounce on Vegeta again. “I’ll  _ wreck _ that bastard! He--How  _ dare _ he--!”

“I know, Pan. I know.” Gohan grasped her shoulders, keeping her still. She looked up at his solemn face, disappointment and remorse reflecting in his eyes as he glanced at Vegeta. He turned back to Pan. “Go help Bra, Pan.”

“But...But he…!” She struggled with her words, rage still bubbling deep inside.

Gohan shook his head. “I know you’re angry. Please, put that anger into something that will help.”

Pan grit her teeth, still glaring at Vegeta, before taking a breath, following Gohan’s orders and hurrying to Bra’s side. She was still curled up, shoulders shaking, holding her mouth. “Bra…” Pan knelt down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, let me see.”

Bra sat up, moving her hand and opening her mouth, a bleeding gap between her left front tooth and canine. Pan rolled up the lower half of her cheongsam, gently pressing it to her mouth to soak up some of the blood. Bra flinched under her touch, sobbing.

“I’m t-tired…” She mumbled into the cloth. “I’m just...I’m so tired, Pan…” Pan closed her eyes, taking a breath. She could be angry with Vegeta later. Bra needed her now. “I’m tired...I’m so tired…I haven’t gotten more than a few hours’ sleep a night since Cell...I’m always so scared…”

Pan wrapped her arms around her, and Bra placed her head in the crook of her neck. “I’m sorry, Bra…” Her heart ached, wanting nothing more than to hug and kiss her troubles away, to tear off a piece of her own heart to try and help heal Bra’s. She mentally scolded herself, now wasn’t the time for these thoughts. “I’m sorry…”

“I’m no different…” Bra wailed, her tears forming a large spot on Pan’s cheongsam, blood still staining the rolled-up gauze substitute. “I’m a murderer like them...I’m a murderer…”

“You’re not…” Pan sucked in a breath, feeling pressure behind her eyes, struggling to stay strong for her friend. “It isn’t the same, Bra...You’re not like them…”

The rest of the Z-Fighters were still at the edge, and she could hear them arguing, more than a few of them calling Vegeta out. Pan pulled Bra closer, rubbing her shoulder gently. She didn’t care if they couldn’t train this winter, she didn’t want Bra anywhere near him, not if it meant she would hurt like this.

She would fix this, somehow.

\--

A month had passed since Baby had escaped, and fall was quickly approaching its end. The brisk autumn air became colder with each passing day, but Pan didn’t mind. Bra had come to stay with her on Mount Paozu, she had been eager to get away from Vegeta, away from training, away from the pressure and the stress. They had decided to take their training in stride, only when Bra was feeling up to it.

She was still unable to sleep for very long, and on more than one occasion, she had woken up the household screaming, nightmares of cyborgs and Saiyans and Tsuffles plaguing her subconscious. Pan kept her tail hidden much of the time, trying to remove anything from the house that would remind her of her ancestry.

It didn’t help.

They continued their studies, school being at least a decent distraction for Bra. Dennish could tell that something was wrong, but Bra would just wave away his concern whenever he asked. “No need to burden him further.” Bra would reply when Pan suggested she tell him.

Winter was upon them, the first snowfall scheduled for any day now. In the time that Bra had been staying with them, Pan had tried her best to replicate her ‘safe room’, the attic at Capsule Corp., to mild success.

Bra stepped into the little room, blankets and pillows folded in the corner, furniture and boxes set up so that a fort could be made. She spun on her heel, wrapping Pan in a hug. “Thank you…” She sobbed, tears marking Pan’s sweater. “Thank you…”

“Do you want to be alone?” Pan asked, rubbing her back comfortingly. “I can leave you here to think, if you want.”

“No.” Bra answered almost immediately, fear reflecting in her eyes. “Please...I...I don’t want to be alone with...my thoughts…” Pan nodded, grabbing a couple of blankets and pillows, and helping Bra set up. They sat there for a while, reclining in the tiny space, Pan staring at the ceiling as Bra read a novel Gohan had lent her. Pan shifted her gaze to the window, snowflakes drifting down past the glass.

She would fix this.


	13. Union

Pan shifted her feet, trying to keep warm as the snow continued to fall. She peered through the school gate, scouring the doorway for Bra as the rest of the students filed out. Their homeroom teacher had asked her to stay behind to discuss something, and had specifically asked for privacy. She cupped her hands, blowing hot breath onto her palms and rubbing them together. She would have powered up enough to keep warm, but she didn’t need people questioning why there was an updraft solely around her.

She looked to the door again, spotting Bra trudging through the snow towards her, rubbing her eyes. Pan had noticed that she had developed the habit, but had never been able to get an explanation from her. “Hey.” She greeted, earning a half-hearted wave back. “So what did Ms. Scotch want?”

Bra sucked in a breath through her nose. “She says I need glasses, I’ve been having trouble seeing ever since the fight with Cell, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…”

They began walking, hand in hand, Pan glancing at her every so often, trying to read her expression, glancing up and down the street to check for cars in case Bra...she didn’t want to finish that thought. She wished she could enjoy the closeness, the feeling of their hands interlocked with one another. She shook the thoughts away, cursing herself. She couldn’t get distracted. Bra didn’t need any more drama in her life.

“Hey...can...can I ask you something?” Bra turned to her, and Pan nodded. “When you were in Other World, you trained with King Kai, right? You know the Kaio-Ken, so…”

“Yeah.” Pan nodded again. “I figured it’d be as good a time as any to get some training in, and he was more than happy to oblige. Why?”

Bra glanced to the side for a moment, trying to find the right words. “Do...did he teach you the Spirit Bomb, too?”

Pan felt her skin prickle. “...No, he didn’t. He said I wasn’t mentally strong enough to wield it.” She faked a grin. “Teenage hormones and all that.”

And that wasn’t technically a lie. King Kai had indeed said that her current mentality made her ineligible to learn the attack, though, not due to any sort of major instability, hormonal or otherwise. No, the reason was simple; her heart was entombed in jealousy. Her envy of Dennish and Bra’s relationship had made her heart impure.

But, no need to let the cat out of the closet just yet.

They rounded a corner, and Pan heard herself groan aloud. In front of them, as though they had been waiting, were a pair of girls from their homeroom, one with raven-black hair that draped itself over her shoulders, and another with white hair pulled into pigtails, hidden by a black knit cap: Piersha and Delita.

“Aww, isn’t that just adorable?” Piersha smirked, hands on her hips. “My, Bra, what would Dennish say if he saw you with another boy? Oh, wait.”

Pan rolled her eyes, unconsciously running a hand through the back of her short bob. “Oh, yeah, sure, _never_ heard that one before. Your material is almost as stale as your breath.”

Piersha shut her lips, shooting Delita a glare as the latter covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. She looked back at Pan and Bra, sneering. “Cute. Well, maybe I shouldn’t compliment you, you might start hitting on me!”

“You wish.” Pan smirked, shrugging. “I’m more likely to hit you, rather than hit on you.” She cracked open an eye, studying her peeved expression. “Besides, you’re not my type. Sorry, doll.”

She and Bra started to push past, Piersha glaring as they continued down the sidewalk. “You think you’re real tough, huh?” She called after them. “You’re cocky because Bra hangs out with you, even though it’s obvious she does it out of pity!” She smirked as Pan glared back at them. “She’s way too pretty to want your company.”

Pan sucked in a breath. “You’re full of crap. We’ve been friends since we were babies. Like...literally babies. If anything you’re just jealous that the prettiest girl in school doesn’t want to associate with you.” She cleared her throat, hoping that what she had said would go unnoticed. Thankfully, it seemed as though Bra hadn’t picked up on it.

Piersha scoffed. “People are gonna start saying things, Bra.” She turned to the taller girl, smirking. “Do you really want someone to spread a lie that you two are a thing? I mean, what would your parents say?”

Bra squared her jaw, turning to face her. “My mom wouldn’t give a crap, and who cares what my dad thinks.” Her glare softened, her lack of sleep overriding her anger. “If your parents would treat you differently based around who you date, I just feel sorry for you.”

They finally pushed past, ignoring Piersha’s sputtering as she tried to come up with a comeback. As they left the other two behind, Pan heard her mutter, “Freakin’ dykes…” She felt her chest burn with rage, before taking a breath and continuing on. For Bra.

“They’re such losers.” Pan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Like there’s anything wrong with girls liking girls. I mean, you’re dating Dennish for crying out loud, of course you’re not interested in girls!”

Bra raised an eyebrow. “I mean...I wouldn’t say I’m not interested in girls. I’m just more interested in Dennish right now.” Pan felt her heart skip a beat, heat creeping into her cheeks; she thanked the gods that her face was already red from the cold.

“O-Oh…” Pan cleared her throat, trying to calm her thumping heart. “I didn’t know that. Cool.” She was internally screaming, simultaneously overjoyed that she had a chance, and angry that her thoughts had once again been brought back to her predicament.

“Is...is that a problem?” Bra asked, worried.

Pan immediately snapped to attention, shaking her head. “No! No, sorry, just...I didn’t expect it. Didn’t really expect you to be so up-front about it either…” She scratched her cheek, and she spoke before she could think. “To be honest, I…” Her words caught in her throat, panic setting in.

“You…?”

“ _Welp, in for a Zeni…_ ” She breathed in through her nose. “To be honest, I...I like...girls…” She scratched the back of her neck, her skin itchy all over. “ _More specifically,_ a _girl…_ ” She mentally added.

Bra smiled. “Really?” Pan nodded, resisting the urge to scratch her arms. “Then I’ll be your wing-girl!”

“Thanks.” She replied, trying to take her offer as it was intended. Pan screamed internally again, this time in despair, wishing she could tell the truth.

\--

Pan sighed in contentment, the two of them finally having finished the homework their teacher had assigned them. They packed their things away, Bra placing her papers and folders neatly into her bag, Pan simply cramming everything in haphazardly. Bra shuffled in her seat anxiously, and they exchanged glances, Pan smiling patiently and nodding.

They stepped out into the hall, walking towards the door at the other end, stepping into the tiny ‘safe room’, their fort still set up inside. They reclined against the pillows, Bra deciding to leave her book alone for now and curl up for a nap. Pan stared up at the ceiling, eyes drifting as she counted the imperfections in the wood.

The room was beginning to get dark, the sun setting against the mountains surrounding the house. The smell of stew drifted up the stairs from the kitchen below, and Pan’s stomach let out a quiet rumble. She looked over to Bra, a small smile crossing her lips, happy that she was finally getting some sleep.

Suddenly, Pan’s smile faltered, Bra shivering in her sleep, her hair flickering golden for a brief second. She held out a hand, nervously placing it on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. It seemed to work, at the very least she had stopped shaking, and Pan sighed, wishing that she could help, wishing that she knew what to do.

Bra whimpered, her chest heaving and her breath catching in her throat, her nightmares threatening to force her awake. Pan moved her hand, trying desperately to calm her down, stroking her hair, her shoulders, her back. It seemed to work at least a little bit, and Bra’s hair returned to it’s normal blue color as her breath became normal again.

Pan glanced at the clock on the wall. They had been in the room for a couple of hours now, and the smell from downstairs had become stronger. Bra shifted in her sleep, turning to face Pan, shivering. Pan placed her hands upon Bra’s, and she calmed down, finally resting against the pillows and blankets. Pan curled up across from her, hands clasped tightly around hers.

She wished Bra would let her in, wished that she _could_ let her in, wished that she could share whatever pain she was feeling and give her as much happiness as she could. Then, her eyes snapped open, a light-bulb going off.

Hours later, Bra groaned against her pillow, stretching as she woke. Her sleep had been uninterrupted for once, even if her nightmares and dreams seemed to intertwine. She looked to her side, where Pan was sleeping as well, their fingers interlocking. She smiled slightly, sitting up and removing her hand from Pan’s, pulling her legs up to her chest.

Pan’s eyes fluttered open as her fingers grasped nothing, and after a moment of groggily looking around, she shot up like a bullet, excitement in her eyes. “Bra, I’ve got an idea!”

\--

Goten’s brow twitched, trying to fully comprehend what they were asking. “You think Fusion might be able to help Bra get better sleep?”

Pan nodded. “I thought...I don’t know, I guess I just thought that if we shared a mind, I might be able to help her…” She scratched her neck. “Would that work, or was I way off?”

He hummed in thought, stroking his chin.”It...could work.” He explained, a smile spreading across Pan’s face. “Just...I’m not sure how it could affect either of you in the long run. Worst case scenario, you both wind up with recurring nightmares and lose sleep.”

Bra rubbed her arm, nervously. “Pan, it’s seriously okay. I don’t want you to--”

Pan shook her head. “It’s fine, Bra. I just…” She crossed her arms. “I’m tired of seeing you hurt alone. If there’s anything I can do to try and make things at least a bit better, I’m willing to try anything.”

The three were silent, the rest of the house still asleep upstairs. Goten sighed, pushing himself to his feet. “Alright, give me a sec to call up Trunks.” Bra shuffled her feet, worry reflecting in her eyes. Pan warily tapped her knuckles, and Bra opened her hand, the two interlocking their fingers as she calmed down.

Goten passed by the shut window, looking out into the snow-covered peaks as the sun broke through the clouds, soft red light and deep blue shadows creating a painting’s landscape. He’d have to wake up earlier more often. He picked the phone up off of the receiver, dialing Trunks’ cell.

\--

“So!” Goten began, Trunks at his side, Pan and Bra standing opposite them. “In order to Fuse, you need to be sure that your energy levels are equal, or at the very least similar.” He took a moment, reading their ki in the air. “Luckily it looks like that’s not a problem, so long as Bra is in base form when you initiate it.”

They raised their arms up to their sides and bent their knees. “This is the first movement.” Trunks explained. “Make sure your arms start pointing away from each other and that your palms are open.”

“Then, you take three steps towards each other.” Goten explained as he and Trunks did so. “Swing your arms up over your head so that your arms are facing your partner. Next, swing your arms across your chest and raise your outer leg like this.” He and Trunks did so. “Make sure your palms are facing down at this point, and close your fists.”

“After that, just lean towards each other,” Trunks explained, “extend your leg, and…!” There was a flash of light, and the two vanished, Gotenks standing in their place. “Think you’ve got that?”

Bra went over the details in her head as Pan nodded. They got into the first stance. “Fuuu…” They swung their arms towards each other, steps even. “...Sion!” They swung their arms out, and already Gotenks noticed a mistake: Pan had raised the wrong leg. “HA!” As they leaned towards each other, he noticed that Bra’s thumbs were extended alongside her index fingers. Their timing was just the slightest bit off, and Pan’s fingers were in place a second before Bra’s.

There was a flash of light, and Gotenks tried to prepare himself for what fusion might emerge. As the light faded, they caught sight of the fusion, stifling a laugh. The ‘fighter’ before them was hunched over, emaciated, sparse blue and black hair covering their scalp.

“Let’s uh...let’s try again in half an hour.”

\--

They had fused no less than three times now, and the rest of the household had woken up by now. They were confused at first, but it didn’t take long for them to assume their usual activities, stopping every so often to watch them attempt to fuse.

“One more time!” The two declared in unison. They steeled themselves, and Goten and Trunks grinned as they performed the dance perfectly. With a “HA!” the two finally completed the dance, filling the room with light.

In their place was a girl around Bra’s height, with Pan’s dark brown eyes, and Bra’s soft blue bangs alongside Pan’s dark brown hair. She wobbled a bit, dizziness setting in as her two pairs of eyes adjusted to being one. She looked herself over, adjusting the blue sash around her waist. “Wouldn’t have minded something with a bit more red…”

Gohan poked his head into the room. “Did they do it?” Goten stepped aside, giving Gohan a full view of the new fighter. He focused, reading their energy. “Great job, you two! Er, you...one, rather.”

Trunks turned to her. “What should we call you?”

The girl hummed in thought, closing her eyes. “A Fusion of Bra and Pan...I guess you should call me ‘Bran’, then!”

Gohan and Trunks nodded, while Goten snorted, covering his mouth. “Bran, for when evil is backed up…”

Bran stared for a moment, before twitching in realization, her cheeks turning red. “Sh-Shut up!”

“Pun-based names aside,” Trunks stepped between them, hands up, “how do you feel?”

“Tired, mostly.” Bran scratched the back of her neck. “As much as I’d love to test out my powers, it’s...probably a better idea to take a nap right now…”

“Alright, that’ll work out perfectly actually.” Trunks nodded. “Pan did want to help Bra get some more sleep, and if you’re Fused, maybe she can help her stay asleep.”

Bran rubbed her eyes, yawning. “Yeah, hopefully…” She drifted up the stairs, waving. “G’night…”

The three watched her round the corner, disappearing into their ‘safe room’. Gohan stepped back through the door he came from, still grinning. Trunks scratched his chin. “...I wonder if Fusions stay Fused when they’re asleep.”

Goten let out a brief laugh, wrapping his arms around Trunks’ neck from behind and nuzzling his jawline. “Dunno, wanna find out?” Trunks’ cheeks went bright red, an embarrassed laugh escaping his own lips.

“Cut it out, you dork…” Goten backed off, before his arms darted under Trunks’, poking his armpits and getting another laugh. “Gah, knock it off!” He spun around, sliding his hands under Goten’s arms and tickling him back. They went back and forth for a minute, before plopping onto the sofa, out of breath.

“I love you, man.”

“Love you, too.”

\--

Bran let herself fall back against the pillows and blankets, rolling over and cocooning herself in warmth. She could hear her two ‘parents’ of sorts conversing inside, as though they were in some kind of ‘room’ in which were doors leading to more ‘rooms’, their ‘rooms’, their souls.

She could feel Bra calming, growing tired, happiness and sadness and joy and pain and gratefulness and heartache all coursing through her soul. She could feel Pan’s determination to help, love and fear and concern and equal heartache. It was calming. It was upsetting. It was the best kind of warm.

The snow had begun falling again, though not nearly as heavy as before, and Bran felt her eyelids growing heavy. Their souls were radiating with warmth, and she felt as though a lullaby were being sung to her.

She was asleep in no time at all.

Hours passed before any of them woke up, and Pan yawned as she tried to push herself up. She glanced down, realizing that she was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. Before she could properly process that fact, however, she noticed the pair of arms wrapped around her, the face buried in the back of her hair, the warmth of breath and a heartbeat on the back of her neck.

She felt her cheeks burn, her heart skipping a beat. She tried to gently wriggle free of both Bra’s hug as well as the blankets, succeeding only in ensnaring herself further. She sighed, half in exasperation, half in contentment, for once ignoring her guilt. Even if Bra didn’t feel the same, Pan was okay with just this. Being there to comfort her, to help her, to talk, to offer a shoulder to cry on.

It hurt, gods above did it hurt, but if this was as close as she could get, it was enough. She rubbed remaining sleep from her eyes, breathing out through her nose as she shifted her weight, laying back into their pillow. She felt Bra shifting behind her, groaning as she began to stir.

Bra’s eyes fluttered open, glancing around in a sleepy daze, before pulling Pan closer, like a teddy bear. It took a moment, but as soon as she realized what - or rather, in this case, who - she was holding, she released her arms from around her, shifting backwards as she groggily sat up.

“Sorry, Pan…” She yawned, scratching her cheek. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s alright.” Pan replied, sitting up and turning to face her. “You don’t have to apologize, there’s never a bad time for a hug.” They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound being the faint settling of the house. “...So which of us knuckleheads came up with ‘Bran’?”

“Don’t look at me!” Bra laughed, giving her a gentle shove. “I’d have gone with Para, or something!”

“Sure.” Pan rolled her eyes, chuckling as Bra gave her another shove. “But...it was nice...A little weird, sure, but nice.”

Bra glanced at the snow-covered window, rubbing her arm. “I...I wouldn’t mind...y’know...Fusing again, sometime…”

“Anytime you want, you can just tell me.” Pan reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If it helps you, you just have to ask.”

Bra sucked in a breath through her nose. “Can...Can we? Fuse, I mean…”

Pan nodded, and they both stood up, getting into position. There was a brief flash of light as they completed the Fusion, Bran standing in their place. She looked down at her clothes, glancing around the room, before walking out into the hall, heading into Pan’s room. She began rifling through the drawers, before pulling out a red sweater and blue jeans.

She changed, placing her vest and pants on the bed and folding them over semi-neatly. Her stomach growled, and she looked at the time, just now realizing that it was already past noon and Bra and Pan had both skipped dinner, breakfast, and now lunch.

The rest of the house was empty; Gohan and Videl had gone to work, Chi-Chi had gone to the market, and Goten and Trunks were off who-knows-where. She drifted into the kitchen, wiping the corner of her mouth as she glanced through the fridge. She decided to heat up some of the leftover stew, taking her bowl into the other room and flicking on the television.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened, Chi-Chi stepping in with a few paper bags in her arms. “Pan, could you help me with--?” She stopped mid-sentence, staring at Bra and Pan, the two of them staring back. They were on the ground, the red sweater stretched out as it tried to contain them both, their legs squished uncomfortably in a pants leg each.

Pan cleared her throat, cheeks red. “I, ah...We kinda need a bit of help ourselves…”


	14. AHead Of

The snow crunched under Pan and Bra’s feet as they continued along the sidewalk, the school just a few blocks away. Bra had been feeling much better following their learning how to fuse, sleep no longer a fleeting luxury. She still had the odd nightmare every so often, but it would vanish as soon as Pan was there. Her heartache had begun to fade, and although the scars and pain were still there, hiding away, she had felt as though that was okay. It was a sign, in her eyes and Pan’s, of survival.

As they rounded the corner, a scream broke through the freezing air. They jumped out of the way as a car sped by, its leftmost side invading the sidewalk and nearly flattening them. Several other pedestrians were forced to dodge, a police car not too far behind the speeding one.

“What’s going on?” Pan muttered, pushing herself to her feet, offering a hand to Bra and pulling her up as well.

A woman in uniform came speeding up to them on a hovercycle, moving her visor out of her face. “Did either of you girls see a speeding car go by here? Jump-5 model, red?”

“That way.” Bra pointed. “What’s happening?”

“Some jackasses tried to rob a bank.” The officer muttered, flipping her visor back down. “Thanks, kids. Go on and get to school!” With that, she sped off.

Pan hummed in thought, watching her chase after the car and her fellow officers. She glanced at Bra, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Y’know, Bran hasn’t had a chance to test out her powers, yet…”

Bra looked at her watch. “We have ten minutes before first bell.”

The two hurried into an alleyway, looking around to make sure they couldn’t be seen. In seconds, they were fused, pulling on an extra shirt that Bra had packed and tying a mask over her mouth, completing the ‘disguise’ with a pair of sunglasses.

She made sure Bra and Pan’s backpacks were hidden away, before flying off, the freezing air biting her skin. Down below, she could see the speeding car turn a corner, ducking into an alley and catching the police off-guard. As soon as the police had passed, it began to pull back into the street, and Bran soared down, landing in front of the vehicle and catching it by the hood, stopping it in its tracks.

“Halt!” She ordered, adding an eccentric flair to her voice. Before she could say anything else, the driver and passenger leaned out of the windows, each firing a few bullets each at her. With a flourish, she caught each one, holding out her fist and dropping them so that they could clearly see.

The robbers heard the wailing of police sirens as the officers realized that they had been tricked, and they quickly leapt out of the car, sprinting in different directions. The police hurried after the passenger, while Bran appeared in front of the driver. In a panic, he fired again at her. Just as before, she stopped the bullets with a single wave of her hand.

As he spun around to try and escape, she grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifting off of the ground just enough to stop him from running. Trying to hold back as much of her power as possible, she lobbed him into the air, snickering as he became entangled in a clothesline overhead.

People began to crowd around the scene, and Bran took to the air, deciding it was best to make herself scarce. She lowered back into the alleyway she had fused in, giggling and hiding her mouth with her hands. “That was awesome! Darn, I should have done what Dad did and come up with a superhero name or something…’She who flushes away evil, the Great Saiya-G--!’...” She trailed off, feeling an ache from inside.

She had been so thrilled, she had completely forgotten about Bra. She cleared her throat, picking up their bags. “Well, it was awesome regardless. I better get to class, we should make it just in time for--...” She trailed off yet again, realization sinking in.

“I...have no idea how to unfuse…”

\--

Hercule Satan sighed at his reflection, his brow furrowing as he ran a hand through his hair. As one would expect of a man his age, his hairline had begun receding quite a while ago, the top of his scalp beginning to show. He hummed in displeasure, trying to convince himself that the thinning of his hair had been due to stress, both from the Cell and Majin Buu incidents long ago, as well as from the recent announcement that he would be retiring following the upcoming tournament.

Speaking of which, he’d certainly need to find a successor by summertime, his hopes already high that Pan would be willing to take the mantle. Buu had begun to grow bored of fighting in tournaments, and seemed to be even more lethargic than ever. Videl had given up on tournaments shortly after Pan had been born, and Gohan hadn’t participated even once since the Buu fiasco.

Come to think of it, Pan hadn’t seemed too interested in tournaments lately either, having skipped both the most recent, and the one before that. Hercule turned away from the mirror, exiting the bathroom and walking down the hall as he tried to focus on something else. He glanced out the window, involuntarily pulling his robe tighter as the snow continued to fall.

He stopped as he passed by the lounge, catching sight of Buu sitting on the couch as had been the norm for a while now, reading what was no doubt another book he’d snuck from Hercule’s study. Bee was across the room, his back arched slightly and his fur on end. Hercule paid no mind; Buu had probably snuck a dog treat along with the book.

“Buu, for once tell me you picked out a more appropriate book to read.” He took a few steps towards the Majin, stopping behind the couch. Buu didn’t answer. Hercule tilted his head a little, confused. Buu never just ignored him like that. “Buu? Hey, you okay?” He tapped Buu’s shoulder, still no response. He stepped around the side, worry replacing his confusion. “H-Hey, c’mon now, say somethin’, Buu!”

The Majin’s face was blank, his eyes narrowed, staring intensely into nothing. Hercule knelt down slightly, squinting at the pink blob’s face, noticing a set of red lines covering his cheeks and brow.

“Did you have a finger-paintin’ accident or somethin’? It’s no big deal, Buu, I’ll go get you a towel and help you wipe it off--”

Hercule let out a cry as Buu lashed out, his arm extending and his fist just barely missing Hercule’s midsection, the gloved hand becoming lodged in the wall. Buu cried out, striking out with his other hand, pulling himself free and aiming yet another punch for his old friend.

“Wh-What’s wrong with you, Buu? D-Don’t you recognize me?!”

Buu swung again, clocking Hercule in the jaw and sending him sprawling onto the floor. Hercule raised his arms up in front of him, eyes shut tight in terror. Buu raised his fists, preparing to slam them down, but something stopped him before he could do so. His arms quivered, as though he was trying to hold back his own attack.

“G-Go…” Buu muttered, a vein popping on his temple as his face screwed itself into an expression of pain. “Run, run from Buu…! Buu can’t...stop!”

Hercule rolled out of the way as Buu brought his arms down, crying out as the floor erupted, splinters and broken floorboards flying every which way. He bolted out of the door, sprinting down the hall, his thoughts racing. He could hear Buu gaining ground behind him, whistling like a steam engine as he charged. Hercule could feel a sharp pain in his arm, a warm liquid flowing down, matting his arm hairs to his skin; had he been scratched by the debris?

Before he could think anything else, he felt a gloved hand grab him by the top of his head, and everything went black.

\--

“So why  _ were _ you two late?”

It was lunch period, and no sooner had Pan sat down than a girl with reddish-brown hair had sat right down beside her: Copik. Pan gulped down a swig of water before answering, “Slept in.”

Copik stared her up and down, obviously not fooled. “You guys’ve never slept in before.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” Pan rolled her eyes, opening up her bento and gulping back her hunger. She prepared to take a bite, before noticing that Copik was still staring at her, as though she were putting together a puzzle. “...It’s rude to stare when someone’s eating, y’know?”

Copik’s cheeks turned slightly pink, and she looked away quickly, allowing Pan to eat in peace for at least a moment. “She’s not cheating on Dennish with you, is she?”

Pan went into a coughing fit, Copik’s question catching her off her guard. As she pounded her chest to clear her airway, she turned away, her cheeks burning. “Sh-sheesh, Copik! What’s  _ wrong _ with you?!” As soon as she could properly breathe, she turned back to look at her. “No, Bra’s not the kind of person who would cheat. She’s just been having trouble sleeping lately.”

“If you say so.” Copik shrugged, pulling open the tab on her pudding cup. Pan opened her mouth to take another bite, before pausing, a jolt coursing down her spine and into her tail, nearly forcing it to coil into public view.

_ Baby. _

She craned her neck around, looking out the cafeteria window. She tried to work out in her head which direction she was looking in, though without any sun to guide her, she couldn’t tell exactly.

She pushed herself to her feet, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. Copik turned to look at her. Pan glanced at her, before doubling over, faking a groan. “Ugh, ohh, ow...stomach cramp.” She mentally cursed herself for daring to use the same excuse as her grandfather.

Copik started to stand up. “You want me to walk you to the nurse? I can--”

“No, no, I’ll be fine, just gotta go!” Without even bothering to take her lunch with her, Pan bolted out of the room, sprinting down the hall. Bra rounded a corner up ahead, running alongside her.

“You sensed it too, right?”

“Yeah.” Pan scowled, screeching to a halt and ducking into an alcove as a couple of teachers passed by down the hall. As soon as the coast was clear, they hurried out the nearest set of doors, taking into the air and soaring towards the energy signal. Pan could feel her blood run cold as she finally realized where the signal was coming from: Satan House.

\--

As Pan and Bra neared their destination, they could see a group of people surrounding the mansion, concerned murmurings filling the cold air. They touched down in an alley nearby, hurrying towards the crowd to see what they were gathered for. As Pan pushed her way to the front, her jaw dropped in horror, a squeak escaping her throat and nothing more.

The entire front of Satan House had been demolished, laying in a heap across the front yard. She grit her teeth, running forth into the wreckage.

“Grandpa Hercule?” She called out, trying her best to sense any traces of life left in the ruins. She felt her tail twitch as she picked something up, digging through the rubble and coming face-to-face with Bee.

The labrador whined in a mix of pain and fear, his back legs twitching, trying to kick away a slab of cement that had trapped him. Pan removed the debris, helping Bee out of the rubble as he limped to her side.

“Have you seen Grandpa?” She asked, receiving only a head bow and a whine. She sucked in a breath, looking around to try and sense any other life. She pushed herself to her feet, heading deeper into the ruins. Bee let out a weak howl after her, as though warning her to stay away.

She slowed to a walk, looking up and down the corridors. If she couldn’t get her grandfather out alive, she could at least recover his body. She turned a corner, jumping and spinning around as a hand tapped her shoulder: Bra.

“Don’t do that…” She huffed, holding her chest to try and calm her thundering heart.

“Sorry…” Bra looked around, sheepishly. They entered the lounge, surveying more of the destruction. A trail of blood drops was leading out the opposite door, and Pan shivered in fear. They followed the trail, and as they turned the corner, they could see the large, bulbous shape of Buu, standing at the other end of the hall.

“Buu?” Pan called out, catching the Majin’s attention. “Buu, what happened here? Where’s Grandpa Hercule--?!”

She spun around as Buu lashed out, nearly striking her in the head. As he faced them fully, they could make out glowing red, crosshair-like eyes, and the telltale red bands of Baby’s possession.

Bra and Pan ducked to opposite sides of the hall, dodging each of Buu’s arms as he tried to hit them. They closed in on him in a pincer formation, Pan’s elbow and Bra’s knee squishing Buu’s belly inward and sending him rolling back a few meters.

“Hooh, boy…” Bra gulped, a bead of sweat rolling down her brow. “This is bad...”

“Yeah,” Pan chuckled nervously, getting into stance, “tell me about it…”

Buu pushed himself back up, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Surprised, monkeys? I won’t lie, I never expected taking over Majin Buu would be so easy. Come on, just try and hurt me now!”

Pan and Bra, however, straightened up, looks of disgust on their faces. “Okay that’s too freaky for me.” Pan muttered. “It is so weird to see Buu speaking properly.”

“Ditto.”

Buu grumbled, steam drifting out of his head. “You realize I could level you and this whole city if I wanted to. Don’t you freaking mock me.” Pan and Bra get back into stance, the expressions not leaving their faces. “Stop it with those faces already!” Buu raised his fists into the air, expanding them and slamming them into the tiled floor as Pan and Bra dodged out of the way.

Pan spun around, dodging more of Buu’s strikes, as Bra leapt up from the floor, bouncing off of the wall, to the ceiling, and diving straight for Buu as he was distracted. At the last second, Buu twisted around, whipping her in the face with his cape and lashing out with his foot, extending it and sending her crashing through the ceiling.

Bra grabbed his ankle, pulling hard and throwing him off-balance. As he stumbled, Pan appeared in front of him, landing a punch directly to Buu’s belly and sending him flying through the roof.

As he righted himself above the mansion, a flash of light shone out of the hole he’d made, and in seconds he was tumbling through the air over the city, a dent in his cheek. Bran went soaring after him, landing punch after punch to the Majin’s gelatinous body.

Buu spun around until he was upright. “See? Even while fused, you two don’t stand a chance against this body!” Bran felt her fists tighten, knowing that Baby spoke the truth.

“What did you do with Grandpa Hercule?” She asked, glaring daggers at the possessed Majin. “If you hurt him…”

Buu scoffed. “I’d originally planned on trying something with him, but Buu ate him before I could do anything.” He patted his stomach. “Well? Surely you know that the only way to defeat me in this form is to completely destroy Buu. What’s the hold-up?”

Bran scowled, trying to think; if they didn’t stop Baby here, there was no telling what he would do to the Earth, but, as Baby said, obliterating Buu was the only option they had, and if they did that...Bran could feel Bra’s heart ache, reluctant to kill again.

“That’s what you Saiyans live for isn’t it?” As Bran was caught off-guard, Buu charged forward, whistling like a steam engine. She raised her arms up to block the attack, only to go flying as Buu completely bowled her over, sending her spiralling through the air. “Come on, you weren’t nearly this tame when you wiped us out!”

He halted mid-charge, spinning around and leaping up towards Bran, grabbing her ankle and yanking her downward, slamming her into a nearby rooftop. As she lay stunned in the concrete, he backflipped away, charging a purple-pink energy ball between his hands, and firing a beam at her prone form.

The rooftop exploded in a rain of debris, and the people below were sent running and crying out for help, trying to avoid the falling slabs of concrete. Buu smirked as the dust began to settle, Bran nowhere in sight. A few moments later, and the dust burst outward, Bran rising out of the destruction, blood trailing from a wound on her brow and dust and grime coating her vest and pants.

She could sense other energy signals closing in, simultaneously feeling a flood of relief as well as dread; they’d have more chance of defeating Baby as a team, but if someone attacked without knowing the situation…She twitched, doing a mental double-take.

Sure enough, the other Z-Fighters were closing in on their location, but there was someone else, someone new. Buu whistled again like a steam engine, charging towards her while she was off-guard and body-slamming her into a nearby radio tower. She coughed, winded from the blow, holding her diaphragm with one hand, holding the other up in a plea for mercy.

“W-Wait, Baby, s-stop…!” But Buu just sneered, rearing back a fist and punching her in the face, sending her spinning to the side. She spun around, righting herself in mid-air and facing Buu again. “I’m serious, knock it off! Someone’s coming!”

“Trying to stall for time, eh?” Buu snickered, crossing him arms. “Alright, I’ll humor you. Let’s see if--” He stopped mid-sentence, a whistling filling the air, not from Buu but from the sky. A reddish glow surrounded the area, certainly not the glow of a sunset if the weather were any indication, and the two fighters turn to the source of the whine.

A glowing red sphere was plummeting to the ground, aimed straight for the city below. Bran grit her teeth, eyes going wide in horror. “No...No, come the hell  _ ON! _ Can’t we ever just have one problem to deal with and leave it at that?!” She turned to Buu. “Sorry, can we like...I don’t know, reschedule this or something? Just give Buu his body back so he can spit out Grandpa Hercule, and we can pick this back up on like...I don’t know, how’s Saturday for you--?”

She was cut off as the Saiyan pod struck ground, a deafening roar threatening to bowl both of them out of the sky as the shockwave from impact exploded outwards. She could hear it below, screaming, crashing, chaos, panic. Without waiting for Baby’s response, she soared towards the crater, squinting against the dust and debris.

As she lowered to the ground, she could see the center of the crater and the pod responsible for the city’s destruction. The hatch on the front opened, and Bran off-handedly wondered what would be held responsible for the ruins; it would probably be reported as a meteor, or something else of a similar caliber. The person in the pod climbed out, lifting into the air just enough to clear the divot in the ground that the pod was lodged in.

Bran stared for a moment, before rubbing her eyes. What a time to inherit Bra’s vision, for a moment she could have sworn--no, no it couldn’t be, she’d been mistaken. She looked again, and again, her damned vision betrayed her. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

The Saiyan before them smirked, arms crossed as the scouter on his ear beeped, confirming her presence. “My, my scouter must have malfunctioned. You’re much more powerful than what I picked up on my way here…”

She continued to stare, unable to believe what she was seeing. The eyes, the face, the hair, everything about the Saiyan before her screamed familiarity. She could feel Pan’s soul within pulse in a mix of heartache and fear, the image of an important someone overlaying the Saiyan’s.

“Gran’pa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't write myself into too bad a corner with this one. An intermission chapter will be uploaded tomorrow morning, and the proper follow-up will be uploaded by tomorrow evening. Thanks for being patient with me!


	15. Third

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I did not initially decide to write this intermission because I thought last chapter was too short but couldn't find a better place to end it
> 
> <.<  
> >.>  
> <.>  
> ow  
> >.<

In the months between Baby’s arrival and the appearance of the yet-unidentified Saiyan (though by this point it is likely You know who it is), another yet-unidentified alien being had been dealing with a monster all their own.

Many, many years ago in the story of Mercy, Piccolo Junior had met his temporary end at the hands of Cyborg ‘A’ and the mind-controlled Z-Fighters, and it seemed as though all he had managed to leave behind were memories and the legacy upheld by his surviving pupils.

And yet, beneath the surface dirt of the wasteland had Piccolo decided to leave a small gift, someone to help his allies in the time he remained fallen. It took a little while, but once the fight had subsided and a few days had gone by, a small green child emerged from the ground, unsure of their circumstances, unsure of their home, unsure of their friends.

All they had to go on were sparse memories and a name: ‘Piccolo’.

Piccolo the Third, as they assumed their name was, wandered for a time, before a kind, equally-lonely soul had found them: a young college professor by the name of Tamako Gomata. The young Namek spent about a year in her care, but the inevitable day arrived where they became just the slightest bit more curious about their origin and put in the necessary studying. Sure enough, they learned of the Demon King Piccolo and his son, the latter of whom had been rarely spotted following his attack on the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai and had faded into benign obscurity shortly thereafter.

They knew that they were given life for a reason, what the reason was, however, was unclear to them at the time. On the day that Cell had launched his assault on Parsley City, they realized what it was they had been born to do, and so they donned a black jumpsuit and gloves, as well as a violet hood, and took to the city to help the Z-Fighters in their battle.

They returned home that night, and explained their circumstances to their adoptive mother. Even as she accepted them with open arms, they knew that they would be needed in the years to come, and once they could sense that their father had reentered the world of the living, they took off once more, ready to begin preparation for whatever else may come the Earth’s way.

So why, out of everything, was it the most difficult to talk with him truthfully?

The child lowered to the ground, Piccolo following opposite them as their training for the day ended. “You’ve come a decent way, my son.” They forced a smile, their chest aching. “We’ll resume our physical training tomorrow. For now, we’ll call it a day and return to meditating.” He took to the air, motioning for the child to follow.

The two found a nearby plateau, adorned by a lone tree, and sat underneath its shade, crossing their legs and beginning their mental exercises. So many days had passed since they had begun their training, and still, they had no idea how to approach their father. What was his stance? Would he understand?

There was only one way to find out.

“Papa?”

“What is it?” They silently sucked in a breath, steeling themselves.

“Could...you call me your daughter, from now on…?”

The plateau was silent for a moment, before Piccolo asked, as stoic as ever, “Why?”

“It just feels...right, I guess?” Her heart pounded in her chest, unable to read her father’s thoughts, her own racing. How she must have seemed a mess to him right now.

“I suppose growing up alongside humans _would_ present this possibility.” Piccolo replied, eyes still closed and legs crossed. “If that is what you wish, I see no harm in doing so.” She felt her eyes burn with relief, rubbing them with her sleeve. “And, to clear the air and take the weight from your mind, is there a name you would like to be known as?”

She took a moment, clearing her throat. “I-Is...Ocarina okay…?”

“As you wish.”

And so, Piccolo and his daughter Ocarina had reached a new level of trust with each other.


	16. Resentment

Bran stared in a mix of confusion, fear, and heartache. It couldn’t be him, it couldn’t be. Son Goku was dead, he had been for decades now. Even if he were somehow alive, how and why would he be in outer space, dressed in the armor of Freeza’s forces no less?

But, if the Saiyan before them wasn’t Goku, who in the world else could he have been?

“Hm?” The Saiyan tilted his head to the side. “You look as though you’ve seen a ghost. Have we met before?”

Bran swallowed the storm of questions brewing in her mouth, allowing only one out at a time, “Who are you?”

The Saiyan smirked. “My name is Tullece. I’m a Saiyan warrior from the extinct planet Vegeta.” His eyes drifted to the swaying appendage behind her. “Though, judging from that tail, I suppose you’re already privy to the situation.”

She nodded, steeling her gaze against his. “Yeah. Now, what’re you here for?” She could sense Baby approaching the crater from behind, the rest of the Z-Fighters closing in as well. “I’m guessing your dad didn’t send you here to protect a certain prince…”

“A prince, you say?” Tullece smirked. “His name wouldn’t happen to be Vegeta, would it?”

“I asked you a question first.”

He crossed his arms, the grin not leaving his face. “Cute.” He held out a hand, a strange, egg-shaped seed resting in his palm. “Well, your assumption is right. I’m here on a mission, a slightly selfish one if I’m to be completely honest. This in my hand is the seed of a divine tree, the Tree of Might. Planting it will allow the tree to flourish on this planet, and bear the fruit of gods, a fruit that grants whosoever eats it incredible strength.”

Bran’s brow furrowed, hearing Buu finally land behind her. The others were near, all she could do now was hope to keep these two occupied until they could regroup. “And the catch?”

“The catch…” Tullece sneered, lobbing the seed up and down like a ball. “Whatever planet produces such a tree, is drained of its life force, leaving it a flaking, dried-up husk incapable of sustaining life.”

“Yeah, figures…” She turned to Buu. “Listen, I know we were kind of in the middle of something, but do you think you could help us out, just this once? He’s a Saiyan, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

Buu faltered, before snickering, holding his forehead. “Unbelievable…” He shrugged, eyes trained on Tullece. “Perhaps I should just let you two fight it out, and kill whichever is left standing.”

Bran scowled, looking back to Tullece. “Freakin’...fine, whatever, just stay out of our way, then.” She got into stance, her aura flaring up around her as she powered up. Her hair flickered golden, spiking upwards and growing longer as electricity sparked around her.

“Oh?” Tullece cocked an eyebrow, surprised. “Could it be...You wouldn’t happen to be a Super Saiyan, would you?”

“Look, Tullece, I’m gonna be straight with you.” Bran sighed. “Half of me’s had both arms cut off and died, and the other half’s been forced to commit murder in order to defend my home. By this point, I’m really not much into the whole ‘toying around with my opponent’ thing and kinda wanna just get to the freakin’ point.” She clenched her fists, feeling her temper beginning to slip away. “So, I suggest you get your ass in gear, fight me, and we can just call it a goddamn night.”

Tullece stared for a moment, before chuckling, pocketing the seed. “Alright, then. I’ll humor you.” He lowered to the ground, not taking his eyes off of Bran. “Give me your best shot.”

Bran moved the moment the words left his lips, sprinting forward in the blink of an eye and landing a blow to Tullece’s gut. As he flew backwards, she leapt after him, vanishing from sight and appearing behind him, swinging her arm around and nailing him in the ear, sending him tumbling off to the side.

He rolled onto his feet, dodging to the side as Bran appeared above him, stomping the spot where his back had been just a moment before. She swung her leg into his side, leaping onto him and pummeling him in the face. He grabbed her wrists, kicking up into her stomach and winding her. As she lurched in pain, he spun around, slamming her into the ground and backflipping away.

As his feet touched ground, he reached a hand up, wiping away a trickle of blood from his brow. “Not bad…” He sneered, licking the blood from the pad of his thumb. “Not particularly worthy of calling yourself a Super Saiyan, though.”

Bran snapped several times across the distance between them, her afterimages closing in on him in an attempt to confuse him and catch him off-guard. He spun around, his fist passing through another afterimage behind him, only for Bran to strike from behind, kicking him in the back of the neck. As he sprawled forward, she raised her hands above her head, letting out a cry of fury as she fired a hail of ki blasts onto his prone form.

The dust cleared after a moment, and Bran let out a breath, still sensing his ki within the series of craters she had made. As expected, there he was, face-down in the dirt, but alive. “Now go home. Don’t come back.”

She spun on her heel, facing Buu as Gohan, Broly, and Vegeta appeared overhead, the rest of the group still on the way. She took one step, before freezing, a strange tittering sound calling her attention back to the fallen Saiyan. Tullece rose to his feet, seemingly unharmed, brushing a speck of debris from his armor. “Go home? But the party has only just begun!”

Bran stared, not quite believing what she was seeing. “H-How did you…? I-I…”

She coughed in pain as Tullece appeared before her, his fist lodged in her stomach. She gulped back her urge to vomit, her hands gripping his wrist in pain. “What’s the matter?” He mocked, barely sparing her a glance, instead focusing on the rest of the group. “I thought you wanted to get to the point?”

As he withdrew his fist, Bran felt herself topple over, her golden glow fading as her strength left her. She tried to push herself up, suddenly feeling as though her body was splitting apart. “N-No, no, no, not yet--!” With a burst of light, Bra and Pan went tumbling in opposite directions, their fusion having run out. Krillin, Eighteen, and Marron touched down next to Gohan and Vegeta, shocked at what had happened.

“Wh-What happened…?” Pan sputtered, staring in horror at Tullece. “B-Bra, w-we were only fused for a few minutes...Wh-Why did it run out?!”

“S-Super Saiyan 3 takes a lot of energy to maintain.” Bra replied, the cogs spinning in her head as she put together what had happened. “It must have shortened the time limit!”

Tullece paused a moment, taking a mental note of what they’d said. “ _Super Saiyan 3? Well, I suppose that makes sense, a normal Super Saiyan doesn’t look_ nearly _as ridiculous…_ ” He took a few steps towards the Z-Fighters, several of whom wore shocked expressions, others keeping their awe concealed.

“So, are you lot as impatient as the runts?” Tullece mocked, scouting each fighter’s power level. “Because I can go into excruciating detail regarding my who’s, why’s, how’s, and what’s if you so desire.”

“He’s a Saiyan named Tullece and he wants to plant a power tree that’ll suck the life from the planet.” Pan announced from her place on the ground. “There. Done. Short, sweet, and to-the-point. Get _on_ with it, you wind-bag.”

Tullece twitched, more than a little put off by her rudeness. “Cheeky little tyke, aren’t you?” Turning back to the Z-Fighters, he crossed his arms. “Well? You heard her. That should be more than enough for you to know that I’m a bad guy, correct?” He smirked. “Come. Let’s ‘get on with it’.”

Vegeta scoffed, stepping forward, eyes locked with Tullece’s. “Must think you’re tough shit, beating on a couple of brats.”

He took note of Tullece’s appearance, and found himself thinking back to his first meeting with Goku. Back then, he may have commented on Tullece’s being a lower-class Saiyan foot-soldier, but after so many battles, so many losses to Kakarot, he knew to hold his tongue. In a flash of light, his hair became golden, his eyes cyan.

But Broly held up a hand, eyes locked on Tullece. “Please, my Prince, allow me.” He marched towards the newcomer, stopping halfway between him and the group.

Tullece crossed his arms, humming in thought. “There are certainly more Saiyans here than I anticipated. I was under the impression that the only ones to survive were Vegeta and his assistant, whatever his name was.”

Broly remained stone-faced. “I won’t allow you...to destroy this planet. My father told me to protect the Prince...at all costs...and there is nowhere else for him to turn should this planet fall.” A tiny smile appeared on his lips. “And also...I am beginning to grow attached. So...you succeeding simply will not do.”

A green aura flared up around Broly’s body as he got into stance. Tullece rubbed his upper lip, then his eyelid, stifling a yawn. “If that’s how it must be, very well. For your own sake, I hope this is a better warm-up than those two brats.”

In a flash, the two were on each other, punches flying back and forth, neither gaining very much ground. Broly let out a shout, his hair flashing golden-white for just a brief second, giving him enough of an edge to finally land a hit. Tullece flew backwards with the force of the blow, flipping back onto his feet and wiping away the blood from his nose with his thumb.

Broly huffed, powering back down, not taking his eyes away from Tullece. There was something about him, something familiar, something that, if nothing else, annoyed Broly to no end, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Pushing it to the back of his mind, Broly powered up again, rushing Tullece and managing to slip in a few punches past his guard.

With a final shout, Broly raised his arms high, preparing to strike Tullece on his head and put him out of commission for a good while -- Tullece raised his own hand up, catching Broly’s fist. Before Broly could even mutter a grunt of surprise, Tullece lifted him up into the air, swinging him over his head, and slamming him into the dirt.

A normal blow like that should have left Broly with a scratch at most, able to rise back up and resume the fight, but something was wrong. Broly felt his vision swimming, his spine tingling, his mind fogging. It felt as though his strength had been sapped from him with just one blow. His hair returned to its natural color, and his eyes fluttered closed, completely knocked out.

The battlefield was silent, complete and total shock on everyone’s faces. It had to be a fluke. It had to be. Broly had practically mopped the floor with Cell, and yet here he was, completely powerless against not a Super Saiyan, but a normal, average Saiyan.

And what’s more, they could feel it: his power had risen, in that brief moment just before Broly had struck the ground, and it was now back to where it had been before.

“Now, _please_ tell me that someone else can offer an actual challenge.” Tullece was looking bored to tears by this point, his arms crossed in a mix of defiance, arrogance, and disappointment.

Vegeta scowled, baring his teeth and getting into stance. “Fine then, I’ll show you exactly how a real Super Saiyan fights!”

With a burst of speed, Vegeta landed a blow to Tullece’s nose, blowing him back and past the kids. He vanished from sight, appearing in Tullece’s path and grabbing him by the hair, swinging him around and slamming him into the dirt. Vegeta jumped skyward, flipping around and aiming a kick for Tullece’s chest.

Tullece vanished from sight, grabbing Vegeta’s ankle and slamming him into the crater he’d left in turn. Vegeta raised his hand, and with a shout, fired a Big Bang Attack straight for him. Tullece let out a cry as he was blown back, his armor cracked, a gaping hole in the front. He twisted through the air, his body seemingly broken to the point that his arms and legs flopped about uselessly as he landed, face-down.

As Tullece skidded to a stop, Vegeta pushed himself up, drifting over to where Tullece lay. “Fool.” He sneered, eyes narrowed at the crumpled man. “A filthy usurper like you is better off dead.” To punctuate this, his raised his arm again, his palm glowing blue as another Big Bang formed.

“N-No!” Bra cried out, eyes wide in panic. Vegeta, as well as the rest of the group, turned to look at her, confused. Bra could feel their stares, and seemed to shrink slightly, before pushing herself up and squaring her shoulders. “Don’t kill him! Let him go.”

Vegeta grit his teeth, trying to read what was going through Bra’s mind. “What are you talking about? You know what his plan is. If we let him go, he’ll just find some other planet to drain for his stupid tree.”

Bra snarled, clenching her fists. “Goku let you go a long time ago…” She muttered, bowing her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes. “He let you go under the impression that you’d change. If you can’t show someone else that same kind of mercy, then…” Her eyes locked with her father’s a mix of rage and heartache reflecting in the blue. “Then he was wrong to believe in you--!”

A burst of energy cut her off, her eyes wide in shock and horror. She trembled in disbelief, a chill surrounding the battlefield as everyone followed her gaze. Vegeta was facing away from them, arm still outstretched, the energy that had collected dissipating. Bra covered her mouth, her hands shaking.

Vegeta fell back, half of his face burned to a crisp, Tullece having fired an attack of his own into his eye.

His bones creaked as he rose up from the crater in the ground, completely unharmed. “Oh-oh, my…” Tullece was practically giddy. “The Prince of All Saiyans, felled by a distracting little twerp.” He turned, glaring at Bra. “Not that I needed your help, kiddo, but...Well, I suppose I already know the answer, whether or not you’d like to join me.”

Pan’s tail drooped, quivering along with her spine as she trembled. “N-No way...h-he took down a S-Super Saiyan, a-and he’s…” She gulped. “What the hell are you…?”

Tullece let out a shout, dust flying up around him as a golden glow covered the battlefield. His hair spiked upward, his eyes turning cyan. “I? I am Tullece.” He let out a brief laugh. “The Destroyer of the Cosmos.”

He cocked his head towards the rest of the group, daring another to step forward. When no one made a move, he turned back to Pan and Bra. “Come now, would you really just stand there…” In a flash, he was behind the two, back-to-back with them both, “as I kill such innocent little angels?”

Before they could properly react, he struck out, elbowing them both in the backs of their heads, sending them tumbling forward. He fired a pair of ki blasts from his hands, giving Pan and Bra barely a second to react and move out of the way.

Gohan rushed in, aiming a kick for Tullece’s neck, striking him right in his Adam’s apple. Tullece froze, and for a moment, Gohan was sure he’d at least stunned him. To his horror, however, Tullece turned to him, his smirk ever-present. He grabbed Gohan’s ankle, swinging him around and throwing him into Pan. As they stumbled, Tullece took aim for the pair, firing a ring-shaped ki blast at them. Gohan took hold of Pan, diving out of the way. Tullece fired yet another, far faster than the first. Gohan grit his teeth, seeing only one option out of the situation.

He leapt through the middle of the ring, crying out in agony as the ring closed around his waist, forcing him to drop his daughter and drop to the ground, groaning as he tried to move his legs. He grit his teeth, digging his nails into his thigh through the cloth of his gi, eyes narrowing at the numbness he felt.

Pan sprung to her feet, spinning around to face Tullece, her fists raised even as she felt her legs shaking. Tullece appeared before her, grabbing her by the forehead and flinging her into the air. He leapt up after her, preparing to strike her back down, only to take pause, dodging out of the way as a trio of Kienzans flew past him. Krillin and Eighteen closed in on him in a pincer attack, and he raised both arms up to block their strikes. Marron sprung up behind him, a Kienzan prepared in her palm.

She threw it forward, and Tullece let out a shout, a field of ki surrounding him and not only cancelling out the attack, but also blowing back both Krillin and Eighteen. He spun around, landing a roundhouse to Marron’s neck, sending her shooting down into the dirt.

“S-Stop it…!” Bra whimpered, shaking with rage and fear, fear of Tullece, fear of what she might do. “STOP IT!” She flew up towards Tullece, her hair becoming golden and growing longer. She landed a punch to his chin, throwing him off balance. She threw another punch, and another, wailing on him harder and harder with each blow.

She threw one last punch, striking Tullece in the center of his chest. He let out a scream of agony, clutching his chest and spiralling downward. Bra froze, her mind reeling, her stomach doing flips in paranoia and fear, afraid that she’d taken yet another life.

Tullece, mid-fall, suddenly spun around, his scream turning into a bellowing laugh as he swung back up to her level, kicking her upside the head and knocking her out cold, sending her plummeting into the Saiyan pod he’d arrived in.

Pan made to run towards her, only for Tullece to appear in her path, kneeing her in the gut and grabbing her by the back of her shirt, throwing her to the side. She rolled along the ground for a moment, spinning onto her feet. She couldn’t even properly steady herself before Tullece was right on top of her once more.

With a sickening _crunch!_ , Tullece landed a kick to the side of Pan’s face, sending her spiralling to the side. She skidded against the dirt, coming to a stop, motionless, save for the occasional twitch, her neck broken.

He turned to the last person standing on the field, Buu.

Buu snickered, arms crossed. “Fools. You Saiyans truly are scum, yet it seems so very few of you realize it.” He raised his voice. “Do you see now? Saiyans will destroy even each other without hesitation, going so low as to feign injury and remorse! Your mercy is worthless!”

“And what of you?” Tullece asked, mimicking Buu’s grin. “Aren’t you going to fight? Are you not at all concerned with the fate of this planet?”

“Not a bit.” Buu shrugged. “Saiyans destroy. It’s what you do. However…” He drifted closer to the menace. “If you wish for me to fight you, I’ll be happy to, once you’ve finished off the rest of these dregs.”

Tullece stared for a moment, before letting out a laugh, a genuine, almost happy laugh. “Letting someone else do your chores for you? How callous...I love it!” He sighed. “It’s a shame that you won’t want to join me as I cruise the cosmos, to be honest.”

“We’d be at each other’s throats constantly.” Buu admitted. “Let’s move this along, hm?”

“So impatient.” Tullece scowled, letting out a groan. “I’m frankly getting sick of everyone’s attitudes on this planet.” He sighed, turning to the group as they lay, broken, scattered across the battlefield. “Well then, let’s finish this--!” He stopped, his scouter peeping and beeping frantically.

He shifted to the side, dodging as a corkscrew-like beam shot past him. Piccolo dove at him, his arms stretching out and snaring his legs. Tullece tumbled onto his back, punching upwards and landing a blow to Piccolo’s chest. Piccolo coughed in pain, his arms loosening just enough for Tullece to wrestle free of his grasp. In the blink of an eye, Tullece kicked up with both legs, pushing Piccolo high into the air. He appeared above the Namek, spiking him back down. He flew down, faster than Piccolo fell, and swung his leg around, kneeing Piccolo in the chest and stopping his descent. With another punch, he slammed Piccolo into the ground, a crater forming around them both.

Piccolo grunted, pushing himself up shakily, only for Tullece to stomp, hard, on his head, grinding his face into the dirt. He raised an arm, taking aim and sneering. “Not a bad attempt. Not exactly good, but I’ll give you an A for effort.”

As he was about to fire, he went flying to the side, Uub having flown in, kicking him in the side of the head. Gotenks appeared in his path, punting him upwards. He and Uub both vanished, striking down from above him and sending him flying into Broly’s fist. As he spun backwards through the air, Broly followed up with a barrage of punches, pushing him further and further back.

Tullece shot out an arm, grabbing Broly’s wrist and swinging him along with his own momentum, throwing him into a nearby husk of what had once been a building prior to his landing. As he prepared another ring-shaped ki blast, Pan appeared behind him, sweeping her legs into his and knocking him over, allowing Bra to appear above him, stomping down into his chest.

“Wh-What the--?!” He sputtered, swinging a punch for Bra’s head, which she vanished to avoid, appearing to the side next to Pan. “H-How...How are you…?”

Bra didn’t let him finish, powering up and throwing a punch, grazing his chin. Pan circled behind him, a red aura flaring up around her as she grabbed his wrists, kicking out and pinning Tullece to the ground.

Tullece growled, breaking out of Pan’s grasp and slamming his fists into the dirt. A bright flash of light engulfed the battlefield, dirt and stone and dust flying up into the air as the ground evaporated, an enormous crater left in its place.

Pan coughed, rubbing her eyes as the smokescreen hid Tullece and the rest of the group from view. She focused, sensing Bra just to her left, Broly a few meters behind her, Uub and Gotenks nearby him, Krillin, Eighteen, and Marron closer to the outer perimeter of the dust cloud, and Piccolo, Gohan, and the hooded Namek off to the side. Piccolo’s energy was weakened, slowly but surely rising back to normal, and Gohan’s energy was back to normal.

She stretched her neck a little, rubbing it to try and massage some feeling back into the muscles. The hooded Namek, Ocarina as she had called herself, had crept onto the field, hiding her power just long enough to avoid detection as she healed up the rest of the group. She could feel Yamhan coming closer as well, and for a brief moment, she felt as though they might be in the clear; with so many fighters at once, some of whom being Saiyans with newly-acquired Zenkai boosts, Tullece could very well be overpowered in a matter of minutes.

That being said, he’d probably be much more on guard, especially around his fellow Saiyans. Pan tried to sense Tullece’s energy, and managed to pick up something lower in the crater. She tried to find a moment to think, about how Tullece was so powerful, how he could best a Super Saiyan 3, how he could best Broly of all people.

Her answer was right in front of her, and her eyes widened, stinging as dust particles found their way into them. “Crap, that’s gotta be how…”

“Pan?” Bra called out over the roaring wind. “What’s going on, you say something?”

“I think I figured out what’s up with this guy…” She mumbled, just barely loud enough for Bra to hear. “I think I get it, and honestly? We _might_ be screwed…”

The dust was beginning to clear, and sure enough, Tullece rose up out of the crater, a look of unadulterated joy. “Amazing, truly amazing! How I’ve longed for a challenge again…” His eyes locked with Pan’s, and she felt a shiver go down her spine and into her tail. “My fellow Saiyans were always the most satisfying to fight...Zenkai boosts just make things so much more... _Unpredictable_ …”

Pan gulped, her fists clenching in fear. “How many…?” She sucked in a breath, repeating, louder, “How many? How many boosts have you gone through...And how many of them were intentional?”

Tullece smirked, looking from Pan, to Bra, to Broly, to Gohan. “Enough.”

She felt her throat quiver, a dry, squeaking chuckle escaping her lips. “You’re...You really are some kinda freak, huh…?”

“Why wouldn’t I abuse such an evolutionary advantage?” Tullece asked, his hair spiking upwards once more. “My crew, my Crusher Corps., may they rest in the Underworld...They were only too happy to oblige, under the guise that I lead them all together as an unstoppable cosmic troupe…” He patted the pouch at his side, his fingertips tapping against the seed. “Foolish, the lot of them...Once I’d passed a certain threshold, I had no more use for soldiers who couldn’t keep up.”

“You sure do complain about impatience,” Bra scowled, “but it sounds like you’re not much better.”

Tullece shrugged. “I won’t claim otherwise.” He rose up to the same level as the rest of the group, Yamhan finally appearing amongst them. “Come. Let’s see who can come out on top in a battle of Zenkai boosts.”

In a flash, he bolted towards Bra, swinging his leg around and aiming for her side. She braced herself against his attack, wrapping her arm around his leg and pinning him to her side. She swung him around in the air, letting go as she finally turned towards Pan. Tullece went flying towards her, and Pan reared back a fist, ready to punch him square in the face.

Tullece vanished as her fist was about to connect, appearing behind her and grabbing hold of her tail. The effect was almost instantaneous, Pan doubled over in agony, faint gasping sounds escaping her throat as he tightened his grip. She tried desperately to keep herself afloat, her body beginning to go limp from the pain. With a smirk, Tullece swung her around, throwing her down towards the crater.

He took aim, a purple ki blast forming in his hand, only to misfire as Gohan and Bra hit him with a pincer attack. Bra let out a shout, her hair spiking outward and growing longer, before she swung a punch downward, smacking him in the top of the head and sending him plummeting.

Piccolo and Ocarina were both waiting for him below, the latter of whom leaping up to meet him. She swung her lower body up over her head, punting him directly towards her father. With a shout, Piccolo fired a Makankosappo, aimed directly at Tullece’s midsection.

Tullece let out a grunt of annoyance as he spun around, just barely dodging the attack, the residual energy causing his scouter to spark and malfunction, exploding against his ear. Gohan flew towards his right, Ocarina closing in on his left, trying to take advantage of the ringing in his ear.

He raised his arms up, blocking both Gohan and Ocarina as they pelted him with a barrage of punches and kicks. Broly dashed in from behind, aiming an elbow for the back of Tullece’s neck. With a smirk, he grabbed Gohan and Ocarina’s wrists, whirling around and slamming them both into Broly, sending him careening off-course.

Yamhan ducked in, landing a blow to Tullece’s stomach, forcing him to double over. With a shout, Yamhan raised his hands up to his face, a blinding light engulfing the battlefield, forcing Tullece to bring his hands to his face in pain, his eyes burning. Yamhan spun around, landing a roundhouse to Tullece’s temple and breaking his defenses.

Krillin and Eighteen rushed in as soon as Tullece was off his guard, the former landing a kick to his knee, the latter a punch to his opposite cheek. Broly, having regained his balance, jumped back into the fray, spiking Tullece downward and into the path of a Kienzan, courtesy of Marron.

Tullece righted himself in mid-air, bringing his palms together and catching the disc just centimeters from the tip of his nose. With a cry, he threw it to the side, forcing the rest of the group to duck out of the way as it spiralled haphazardly into the stratosphere.

“Not bad…” Tullece let out a guttural chuckle, looking down at his hand; the tips of his left ring and pinky fingers had been chopped clean off by the attack. “That will be your last mistake.” In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Marron, grabbing the sides of her head and raising her up over his head, slamming her back down, over and over.

“Stop! STOP IT!” Krillin yelled, rushing in and aiming a punch for Tullece’s back. There was a brown blur, and Krillin brought his hands up to his neck, Tullece’s tail wrapping around it and squeezing.

“D-Dad…!” Marron choked out, trying to wrench Tullece’s hands off of her head. In response, Tullece squeezed harder, both on her head and on Krillin’s neck. Marron’s groans of pain turns into screams, the pressure threatening to split her head apart.

Then, Tullece dropped her, Krillin dropping to the floor along with -- Eighteen had cut off Tullece’s tail, and the furry appendage was on the ground next to Krillin, wriggling and twitching. Tullece grabbed at his backside, doubling over in pain and grunting, trying to contain a scream of agony.

Glaring daggers, Tullece turned to Eighteen, raising a hand and firing a ki blast directly at her. She tried to jump out of the way, but the blast struck her leg, severing it and sending her toppling to the ground. She rolled onto her remaining knee, about to fire back, but it was too late. Tullece was upon her, a kick flying out and striking her in the head. There was a terrible ripping sound, and her head went flying, sparks shooting out of her neck as her body went limp.

“E--...Eighteen…!” Krillin growled hoarsely, rubbing his throat. “How dare you...do that to Eighteen!” He dashed in, cupping his hands at his side. Tullece aimed another ki blast at him, but missed as he jumped up into the air. “KAMEHAME _HA_!”

The blast engulfed Tullece entirely, obscuring the fight in yet even more dust and debris. Krillin huffed as he touched back down, wiping away the sweat from his brow. The dust began to settle, and there was Tullece, arms raised over his face, his armor cracked.

“Hah...haha…” Krillin chuckled, dryly. “Yeah...figures…” He bowed his head, eyes shut. Tullece took a step forward, and with a single punch, sent Krillin flying to the side, skidding along the ground, stopping next to Eighteen’s body, unconscious.

Tullece raised a hand, aiming yet another blast for the two, only to spin around, firing the attack into Broly’s stomach as he tried to catch him off-guard. Broly doubled over, grasping the hole in his gut, stumbling backwards. Tullece smirked, raising his fist and smacking Uub in the nose as he tried to attack.

He spun around, kicking Uub in the side and sending him tumbling onto the ground. He rolled back onto his feet, dodging backwards as Tullece went in for a punch to his midsection. He caught one of Tullece’s punches, ducking underneath his arm and elbowing him in the chest. Uub swept his legs into Tullece’s, tackling him and pinning his arms to the ground with his legs.

Uub threw punch after punch, pummeling Tullece in the face. Tullece caught one fist, then the other, flipping Uub over and driving his head into the ground. He leapt to his feet, preparing to fire a blast at the grounded fighter, only to go spinning to the side as Gotenks landed a kick to his ribs. Tullece spun into a crouch, rolling sideways to avoid another Kienzan from Marron.

Pan appeared below him, kicking upwards into his stomach and winding him just long enough for Bra to grab him in a full-nelson, supplexing him into the dirt. Gohan grabbed his ankle and Bra let go of him, allowing him to slam Tullece face-first into the ground once more. Bra and Pan each ran to his sides, the three of them all firing ki blasts at the downed Saiyan.

Tullece leapt out of the dust cloud, becoming little more than a golden spark in the sky. He raised his hands up over his head, firing an enormous blast of his own right back at the group. Gohan, Bra, and Pan all reared their hands back, countering his own beam.

With a shout, Pan’s aura turned red, and their combined beam was enough to overpower Tullece’s. With a cry of defeat, Tullece was sent flying into the air, disappearing from sight entirely.

Gohan and Bra both let out sighs of relief, and Pan dropped to her knees, her mouth opening and closing, wheezing heavily. Her aura faded as she felt an excruciatingly painful ache across her entire body. Gohan turned to her. “How much did you use?” She looked away, sheepishly, scratching her temple. “Pan.”

“Erm...t-times ten…?” She replied, her shoulder muscles and fingers twitching. She let out a nervous laugh as her father sighed in exasperation, before wheezing again, dropping onto her front and letting out a muffled cry of pain.

Bra turned her eyes skyward, trying to sense for Tullece’s ki. After a moment, she said, “He’s definitely still up there...I just hope that was enough to ward him away for now…”

As she said, Tullece came plummeting back down, barely conscious but definitely still alive. As he struck ground, he groaned in agony, slowly but surely rolling onto his front. He dug his fingers into the dirt, growling as he crawled pitifully towards his pod. He turned to the Z Fighters, his growl turning into a deep, guttural chuckle.

“This is an interesting place…” His eyes locked with Bra’s and she felt a chill run down her spine. “I’m definitely marking my map...You better be ready...for when I come back…”

But Buu stood between him and the pod. “Who says you’re coming back?” Tullece looked up, an amused smirk on his face, before it faded to a scowl, a very, very scared scowl. Before anyone else could react, Buu grabbed Tullece by the hair, slamming him back and forth into the ground.

“Baby, stop it!” Bra shouted, her fists clenched tightly. “He’s had enough!”

Buu’s smile remained, however, and he let go of Tullece’s hair, throwing him into a nearby pile of rubble. He vanished, appearing above Tullece and stomping down, hard, into his stomach. Tullece retched, spit and blood flying past his lips, and he wrapped his fingers around Buu’s ankle, trying to pry his leg away.

With a kick, Buu sent him flying towards his pod, landing mere feet away. He perked up, eyes wide, sparing Buu a momentary glance back, before crawling as fast as his broken body could manage towards his only escape. His fingers brushed the edge of the pod door, only for his arm to disintegrate, Buu smirking as he roared in agony, clutching the still-smoking stump.

The possessed Majin stomped down on his neck, drinking in his fear, his pain. “Aww, so close too…” Tullece could just barely see Buu’s face out of the corner of his eyes, could just barely see the malice, the sadistic pleasure he was deriving from making him squirm away as though he were a lowly worm. “Let me ask you something, Saiyan…” The name was spat out like venom on his tongue. “Do you know anything about the Tsuffles?”

Tullece could only stare in response, fear and horror in his eyes.

“Do you know what you did to us? To me?” Buu’s grin was different now, far, far angrier, even more malicious. “The Saiyans burned our home to the ground...Whatever they salvaged was used to enrich themselves. I wonder...were you responsible for any of their deaths? Were any of my brethren forced to plead for their lives beneath your boots?”

“Are you expecting such a thing from me…?” Tullece scoffed, blood dripping from his lower lip and staining the dirt. “I don’t beg...Such a thing is below me…”

Buu let out a brief laugh, narrowing his eyes and putting more weight on the foot holding Tullece down. “Is that so?” He held out a hand, a purple-pink energy blast gathering in his palm. “Too bad for me then, I suppose…” Tullece shut his eyes, waiting for the blast.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Bra land a kick to Buu’s cheek, forcing him off of Tullece’s neck. She turned to the downed Saiyan, scowling. “You. Out of here. Now.”

He coughed, crawling into his pod with his remaining arm. “You...realize that you’re just...giving me a Zenkai...don’t you?”

“OUT OF HERE.” She repeated, teeth clenched. “And if I see you here again, your ass is grass.”

Tullece pursed his lips, but nodded nonetheless. “Yeah...okay…”

With that, the door to his pod closed, and he took off, vanishing into the stratosphere above. Buu watched until the pod was out of sight, before turning to Bra, eyes narrow. “Why did you let him go?” His scowl turned into a smirk. “I see...you’re one of those rare ones that actually give a damn about their fellow apes.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Bra’s glare softened, her aura becoming less intense as she descended from Super Saiyan 3 to 2. “He’s an asshole, no doubt about it. But I’m just…” She sighed, descending again. “I’m tired, okay, Baby? I’ve seen people I care about die. I’ve killed a man myself already. And I won’t lie to you, it didn’t feel good, not in the least.” Once more, descended. “I won’t kill you, Baby. But I won’t stand by and let you hurt the people I love. If you wanna kill a Saiyan, if that’ll really make you feel better, I’m right here.”

Pan twitched, looking up from her spot on the ground. “B-- Bra, what’re you--?!”

“I’m here.” Bra repeated. “If killing a Saiyan will get you to stop, then go ahead and kill me. Just please...leave the rest of the Earth alone.”

The battlefield fell silent, save for the whooshing of the wind. Buu stood stock-still, his teeth clenched. Suddenly, he doubled over, a silvery liquid -- Baby -- spilling forth onto the ground. Slowly, the slimy material began to take shape, growing, growing, until it was in the vague shape of an adolescent humanoid, a yellow-and-red vest and blue bodysuit covering him.

“How conceited can one brat be?” He glowered, stepping towards her. “You think your death alone can absolve the rest of these vermin? You think that just killing you will be enough to satisfy me?” His expression grew more and more intense with each step. “Let me make one thing absolutely, one-hundred-and-ten-percent, perfectly, crystal-goddamn-clear.” He stopped in front of her, grabbing her by the collar.

“My mission, my reason for existing, is to eradicate you parasites. Nothing more. Nothing less. I won’t stop until every last one of you is thoroughly wiped from every conceivable gene pool in the universe. You annihilated my people... _My_ friends... _My_ family...Why in the high heavens do you think I wouldn’t return the kindness?”

Bra’s shoulders shook, making no move to stop him. “I’m sorry…”

“Sorry!” He scoffed, his glare becoming a manic grin. “You’re _sorry!_ ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to bring back the people the Saiyans killed. ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to save you! ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to save me -- save _ANY_ of us!” He lifted her up off the ground, fingers tightening around her collar. “You’ll die, here, monkey. You and your friends. You and your family. You and everyone who has ever even thought for a millisecond to help you.” He bared his teeth, his grin growing wider. “And once I’m done...once my mission is completed...I’m going to come visit you in Hell, and do it all over again.”

He slammed his fist into her stomach, causing her to sputter and retch.

“And again!”

Another punch, he ignored the blood that landed on his cheek.

“And AGAIN!”

Another.

“AND _AGAIN!_ ”

He punched one more time, throwing her away like garbage, appearing in her path and kneeing her in the chest, sending her skyward. He appeared above her, grabbing her by the hair and spinning her around, throwing her into the crater left by Tullece’s pod.

“S-Stop…” Pan groaned, trying desperately to stand.

Gohan and Gotenks rushed in, only to fall back as Baby spun around like a top, punching and kicking them rapidly.

“P-Please, stop…!” Her muscles were too damaged, and she silently cursed her inexperience with the Kaio-ken.

Majin Buu leapt up at him, trying to absorb him enough to keep him in place for Uub to attack. Baby just blocked the latter’s punch, breaking out of Buu’s gelatinous form and throwing them both away.

She sucked in a deep breath, shouting at the top of her lungs, “STOP IT! BABY, STOP IT _NOW!_ ”

Krillin and Yamhan tried to attack in a pincer formation, but Baby just dodged out of the way, kicking them both in the head and sending them plummeting.

She rolled onto her back, huffing and puffing, all of her energy completely drained. She could feel pressure building behind her eyes, her foolishness eating away at her conscience. She let her eyes open just a crack, taking in the deep blue that the sky had turned during their fight. Taking in the stars.

Taking in the moon.

The moon.

She had never seen it so closely before. It felt like it was coming even closer. She let out a brief chuckle, satisfied that, if this was to be her spot to die again, at least she’d get a pretty nice final view.

So beautiful that her heart even began to beat. Beat. Beat beat. Beat beat. Beat beat beat. Beat beat beat beat beat beat.

Something was wrong, something was horribly wrong.

She could feel her heart beating faster, faster, faster, it felt as though it was pounding right out of her chest, pushing past her ribs, breaking them, her bones aching. Every bone in her body.

The moon was coming closer.

Something was wrong.

Closer.

This wasn’t right.

Closer.

She could feel her face stretching, her teeth growing out of her gums. It wasn’t just an ache now. It felt as though her whole body were shoved into a rosebush, or a cactus. Her grunts of pain became guttural, her broken muscles searing with agony.

Coarse brown hair sprouted across her body, she could feel herself growing larger, larger, her shirt stretching, beginning to tear at the seams.

Everything was red, red, blood red.

Pan stood, twitching wildly as she finally stopped growing, having gained a foot-and-a-half in height but nothing more. Her tail twitched to and fro, and she glared directly at Baby, catching his and everyone else’s attention with a loud, ear-shattering roar.

Gotenks stared, horrified. “What...What is that? That’s not a Great Ape, is it?”

Piccolo shook his head. “There’s something different about this form…” His brow furrowed. “It’s too small...A result of her lack of much Saiyan blood perhaps?”

“Is that really how that’d work?” Gotenks asked again, trying to remember the biology classes Goten and Trunks had taken. “Do...do genetics work that way?”

Baby smirked, lowering to the ground across from Pan. “Aw, isn’t that cute? Just enough monkey blood to trigger the transformation but not nearly enough to complete it.” He raised a finger, energy gathering at his fingertip. “How sad...Let me put you out of your misery, why don’t you?”

In the blink of an eye, Baby went flying, Pan’s fist in place of where his face had once been. He righted himself mid-recoil, before another punch came from directly below, another from above him, in front, behind, he was being struck from every angle, Pan wasn’t giving him even a second to recover.

Bra stared, shocked, horrified. “Wh-What’s happening?” She looked around, the rest of the group unable to give her a clear answer, just as shocked as she was. “I-I can barely see what she’s doing…”

Pan dashed for Baby, grabbing him by the face and slamming him into the ground. Baby grabbed her wrist, flipping her over his head and face-first into the dirt. He spun around, preparing to block Pan’s next attack, but she was too fast; before he could even steady himself she was in front of him, kneeing him squarely in the chest.

She vanished, grabbing him from behind and spinning on her hell, pinning him down with her elbow by the back of his neck. He fired a ki blast into her stomach, sending her skidding backwards, smoke drifting off of her front. He rolled onto his feet, making to block a feint kick but failing to catch the next one as she spun on her heel, roundhousing him in the face.

He brought up both hands, catching a punch, only for her to lunge at him, chomping down on his shoulder, her teeth digging deep into his skin. He took hold of her jaw and nose, trying to pry her off, succeeding only in falling backwards, Pan kneeing him in the stomach. He punched up into her diaphragm, and she let go of his shoulder with a broken roar of pain.

Ocarina and Broly came drifting towards the group, the former propping up the latter, who was still recovering from having a hole blown through his torso. “I think I know…” He grunted, clutching the now-scarred spot that Ocarina had tried to heal. “The Great Ape transformation gives the user a ten-times strength multiplier...And despite the increase in size, the user’s speed is perceived to stay the same…”

“Perceived...So then…” Bra began to put two and two together. “That must mean the user’s speed has to increase to compensate for the increase in size, right?”

Piccolo nodded. “But because she hasn’t undergone much of a size increase, if her speed and strength got the usual multiplier…”

Baby held up a hand, grabbing one of Pan’s fists, only to spin out of control as her other fist clocked him in the cheek. She appeared in his path, grabbing him by both sides of his head, and driving both knees into his spine, flipping him around and grinding him into the dirt. She jumped straight up, aiming a kick for his neck, but he managed to just barely roll out of the way, the ground erupting under her foot. He swung his legs around, trying to knock her off balance.

Pan did indeed fall to the ground, but she caught herself, driving a kick toe-first into the small of  Baby’s back. She jumped up off of his spine, backflipping onto her feet and opening her mouth wide, an energy beam gathering at the back of her throat. With a roar, she fired the attack, carving a groove into the dirt where Baby had been.

He pushed back against the the beam, and with a cry, sent it flying skyward. Pan was on him in a second, thrusting her fist into his stomach and forcing him to double over, before spinning around, roundhousing him in the side of the neck.

She leapt after him, pummeling him in the chest, driving him further and further back, until his back hit the wall of a nearby convenience store, and she pounded him further, further, further into the concrete. Her hands found his neck, tightening, tightening, her thumbs beginning to dig into his throat. His eyes met hers, a cocky, smug smirk on his lips.

“Go ahead, monkey.” He chuckled, making no effort to stop her. “Kill me. Prove to me that Saiyans are nothing but mindless beasts! Make my day!” Pan seemed to hesitate, and Baby raised his fists, punching her in the stomach and chest. “What’re you waiting for, huh?! Do it already!”

Her fingers tightened, tighter, tighter. She could feel her throat vibrate, a low growl slipping past her teeth, growing into a roar. She slammed the back of his head against the crater in the wall, energy gathering between her teeth once more. Baby shut his eyes, that same smug grin on his face.

Pan opened her mouth wide, about to fire, before something went off in her head. Something like a sort of spark, a shred of reasoning. She pushed away from the wall, falling onto her elbows and knees, gripping her head in pain. With an ear-splitting shout, she fired the attack she had prepared for Baby directly into the ground. Several streams of energy burst out of the ground, nearly hitting not only Baby but also the rest of the Z Fighters.

She gripped her head, tighter, as though she were trying to keep it from splitting wide open. There was some voice, some nagging voice in the back of her mind, _her_ voice. It felt as though her mind were ripping itself to shreds, telling her to stop, to think for moment, just think about what Bra had said.

And then, there was another voice, a familiar voice that she had never heard before.

Slowly, slowly, but surely, she began to shrink back to normal, the fur that had covered her falling out, sparse, loose traces remaining on her arms and legs and neck. She dug her fingers into the ground, dirt and minerals finding their way under her nails. Her tail twitched wildly, until finally, she collapsed, heaving.

Baby pushed himself away from the wall, staring at her in a mix of rage and confusion. He put on a smirk, trying to hide his distress. “Oh, what’s happened? Did you burn yourself out already, brat?”

Pan pushed herself to her feet, wiping her mouth, unamused. “Baby...I’m not gonna kill you. It isn’t right.”

“Oh, puh-lease!” Baby scoffed, glaring daggers between Pan, Bra, Gotenks, Gohan, Broly. “It isn’t ‘right’? Since when have you apes ever given a damn about doing what’s ‘right’?!”

She straightened up as best as she could, eyes locking with his. “I won’t make any more excuses. The Saiyans _have_ done terrible things. Even if we’ve done our best to protect this planet, I won’t deny that a lot of the reason it’s always in trouble is because of us.” Baby’s smirk was dropping, quickly becoming a scowl. “But nobody else is dying here today, Baby. Not you, not me, not Bra, none of us.”

“Yeah?” He growled, his fists clenching and unclenching as he grit his teeth. “And how are you going to stop me, hm? If you don’t kill me, what’s to stop me from killing you all?”

Pan lowered her gaze. “I guess the only thing between us and death at this point is whether or not we’re persistent enough.” Her eyes steeled, meeting his once more. He felt a jolt in his mind, the raw determination in Pan’s eyes making it clear that she had every intention of keeping her word. “I’m not gonna let you kill anyone, and I’m not gonna let you die. There’s been too much death already.”

Baby’s mouth opened and closed, trying to find words to counter hers. “Persistent? You think that being persistent will be enough to stay alive?” Suddenly, his aura flared up around him, threatening to bowl over everyone within range. “How pretentious do you have to be before you listen to yourself?!”

“Baby…” She relaxed her stance, a somber look crossing her features. “Please. We just want this to be over. We don’t want to fight you anymore.” She held out a hand, remorse clear on her face. “I don’t expect forgiveness, but--”

His shoulders shook, a maddened laugh building up from his throat. “You...You really think I’m that big a fool...That I’ll just willingly shake your hand, let bygones be bygones…” He glared through her, and she faltered. “You’re trying to trick me...You’re trying to trick me and I won’t fall for it!”

He dashed forward, striking Pan in the chest and sending her flying backwards. He appeared in her path, grabbing her around the neck and holding her in front of him, palm aimed towards her face.

“Well?” He looked across the rest of the group, lips curled into a snarl. The rest of the group stood prepared, ready to defend. “What’s wrong, you don’t want her to die, do you?” A ball of energy appeared in his palm, and Pan could feel the heat against her cheek, the ends of her hair being singed. “I frankly couldn’t give a damn about apologies...Nothing will undo the atrocities the Saiyans have committed! So long as you exist, this entire universe is doomed to suffer tragedy after tragedy!”

He took aim at the group, firing the ki blast and forcing them to scatter. He grabbed Pan by the hair, throwing her into Ocarina and forcing her to drop Broly, the latter stumbling. In a flash, he landed a kick to Gohan’s stomach, spinning around and punching Uub across the face with enough force to send him face-first into the ground. Following his momentum, he swung his leg around into Gotenks’ cheek, followed by sweeping Yamhan off of his feet. As they both tried to right themselves, he struck out, elbowing them both in the head and knocking them out.

Piccolo stretched his arms out, grabbing Baby by the wrists and swinging him around over his head towards Marron. She leapt towards him, a kick aimed for his stomach, only for Baby to maneuver out of the way, tangling her in Piccolo’s arms as well. With a shout, Baby’s aura flared up around him, disintegrating Piccolo’s arms and forcing them to recoil as he grew them back.

Baby spun on his heel, punching Marron in the nose and sending her tumbling backwards, before turning to Piccolo, firing a ki blast and severing his leg. Bra came up from behind, sweeping Baby off of his feet, only for him to flip around, stomping on her head and half-burying her in the dirt. He spun on his heel again, landing a knee to Ocarina’s stomach as she tried to ambush him.

He looked across the battlefield, chuckling to himself. “Well?! Come on, surely one of you will put up a fight!” His shoulders shook as he laughed, his stomach and chest aching. “Come on! You mean to tell me not a single one of you will try to kill me?! Make this fun!” Pan pushed herself onto her elbows and knees, realization slowly sinking in as he scratched his eyelid. “Go on! Kill me, I dare you!”

“I think I get it now…” She struggled to her feet. “Baby...Do you really want to die?”

He turned to her, shock evident beneath his smug smirk. “What are you prattling on about now, brat?”

She looked forlornly at him, an ache in her own chest. “This whole time...Is this what the Saiyans did to you…?” A pressure as building behind her eyes. “Being alone for so long...I think I finally understand why you’re doing this…”

“Understand…?” Baby’s smirk faltered, his eyes wide. “Understand what?! What could you possibly understand about what I’ve been through?!” He clenched his jaw and his fists, glaring at her.

Pan shook, meeting his glare. “To be completely alone...That’s what we did to you…” She rubbed her eyelid. “Baby, I’m...I’m sorry…”

Baby stared at her, anger and cockiness and hate gone for all but a second, before he bared his teeth, his eyes wide and manic, enraged like never before. “Stop saying that! I don’t care if you’re sorry! I don’t care what you think will make up for all the lives you apes destroyed! I don’t care if you think you ‘understand’ what’s it’s like, drifting through space with nobody to call family, nobody to call a friend, nobody like you--!” He stopped, his words leaving his mouth before he could stop them.

He shivered, his fists clenching and unclenching. “You’re lying…! You’re trying to trick me! Stop it!” With that, he took to the air, soaring straight upwards past the stratosphere.

“HOW’S _THIS_ FOR FORGIVENESS?! I’LL DESTROY THIS PLANET AND ALL OF YOU ALONG WITH IT!” He raised his hands over his head, a low whine filling the air as a black-and-white ball of energy was formed, growing larger and larger every second, absolutely dwarfing Baby.

Before anyone else could get to their feet, Baby threw his hands downward, sending his attack straight down towards the planet’s surface.

Pan powered up as far as she could, flying upwards to meet the attack head-on in a desperate bid to stop it. The effect was almost instantaneous; although she had slowed it down, it was clear that she was far too exhausted to stop it completely. Both the attack and Pan were nearing the surface of the planet, a white glow engulfing the city as the ball loomed overhead.

“BABY, STOP IT!” She shouted over the roar of the wind behind her. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!” She could feel her hands burning against the surface of the attack, energy spiking past her and shattering windows and buildings alike.

“JUST _DIE_ ALREADY!” He pushed the attack further, further, the ache in his body growing more and more powerful. “You think _loneliness_ can break me…? How _stupid_ can you be?!” The attack was coming closer. “I don’t need your sympathy or your apologies…! I DON’T NEED ANYONE, _LEAST OF ALL_ ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO EXTERMINATED MY OWN!”

Pan could feel what little power she had left beginning to drain, her nerves screaming for her to stop, screaming for the pain to end. But that voice was still there, her own as well as that familiar stranger’s voice. For every bit of energy that she could feel slipping away, she felt more flooding her, prompting her, encouraging her not to give up.

She let out a cry that seemed to shake the very Earth itself, for a split second her hair spiking upwards, a golden aura surrounding her, her eyes turning cyan.

The Revenge Death Ball detonated in mid-air, the shockwave large enough to make the buildings below crumble, the crater created by Tullece’s pod growing even larger. After a second, however, the shockwave seemed to shrink away, the glow of the explosion vanishing, leaving Pan floating in the center of where the attack had been, slumped over, bruised, burned, bleeding.

Baby floated down until they were level, a shocked, if not annoyed, scowl on his face. “What did you do…? I put everything I had into that...What did you do?!”

“I...I don’t know…” Pan huffed, her dark brown hair limp over one of her equally-colored eyes. “I couldn’t let you destroy the Earth, Baby...If you wanna try again, I’m just gonna stop it again. We’ll keep doing it until one of us doesn’t have any energy left.”

He bared his teeth. “Why…? Why aren’t you killing me?” He grabbed her by the throat, a ball of energy forming in his other hand. “Why aren’t you killing me?! Are you just that thick-headed?! I’m going to blow up your goddamn planet! _KILL ME!_ ”

Pan was silent for several seconds, before placing a hand on his wrist, holding herself up so that she could look him in the eye, a pained, sorrowful expression on her face. “Because...my gran’pa is my hero…”

He cocked an eyebrow, confusion replacing his rage.

“He and Vegeta...fought Freeza, the person who destroyed the planet the Saiyans took from you. I’d be lying if I said they were wrong to be angry, to want revenge…” Her voice began to break, her shoulders shaking. “I can’t say with a clear conscience that their desire for revenge was just while yours isn’t...If I were angry at you for wanting us dead, I’d have to be angry with them about wanting Freeza dead too.”

“But in the end...when my gran’pa had Freeza on the ropes...when he could have killed him for good...he spared his life. He showed mercy to the one who’d destroyed his family.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks, meeting Baby’s hand as they fell. “I’m not saying I expect forgiveness, or even mercy...But that’s why I’m not going to kill you. My gran’pa saw in Freeza a potential for goodness, or at the very least decency.”

“If I didn’t give you the same benefit of the doubt...If I didn’t at least try to see goodness in you, I...I don’t think I could ever face him, or my dad, or anyone ever again. You aren’t Freeza, not even close. You...You don’t deserve what we did to you…You don’t deserve to meet that kind of end…” Baby’s fingers began to slacken, despite his brain screaming at him not to let go, not to fall for her tricks. “Please...even if you can’t forgive us, leave the Earth alone…I’m begging you...Leave these people in peace…”

Baby could feel his jaw cramping, his teeth grinding against each other, conflicted to the highest heavens. With a shout, he threw Pan away from him, energy gathering in his palm. “STOP IT! You won’t trick me! You...You won’t…!”

Pan righted herself, relaxing her shoulders, showing her hands in an attempt to convince him she’d be true to her words. “I’m not trying to trick you, Baby…” She floated closer, cautiously. “Please...You shouldn’t be forced to stay like this...I know it won’t make up for what the Saiyans did but...But please, let me help you--”

“SHUT UP!” He backed up, feeling something on his cheeks, rolling, rolling, rolling down, off of his chin. “I don’t need your pity…! I won’t forgive you! I won’t...I can’t…!” The energy in his palm faded, and he brought his hands to his face, trying desperately to hide his shame, his grief. “I can’t...I can’t take this anymore…I’m so...so tired...”

Pan floated across from him, her head bowed as she allowed him to grieve. “I know...I’m sorry…”

“What...What did you do to me?!” He sobbed, trying to call back his rage, his hatred, his desire for revenge. “What did you do to me…?”

She wiped at her cheeks, trying to stay strong, to make it clear that she was being honest. “You don’t deserve this…Please, if I can help, if there’s any possible way I can help you, just...Let me in.”

Baby sobbed harder, the ache in his core spreading through his entire body as he let out all of the grief he’d bottled up over the years. “I’m sorry…” He whimpered, sniffling. “I...oh gods...I’m so sorry…I...I killed...oh gods...”

Several minutes passed, and Pan could sense the energy signals of the rest of the Z Fighters below on the surface. She felt relief, everyone there and accounted for, even Vegeta, though weak.

She turned back to Baby, who had finally stopped shaking, turning to her as well. “You...didn’t attack me…” Pan nodded, giving him a pained, patient smile. “I was open that whole time, and you just...stood there…”

“I don’t like to lie unless I have a good reason.” She replied, sighing through her nose. “If I attacked you...My gran’pa would never have approved. Heck, I don’t think I would’ve either…”

Baby took a look down below, staring wistfully at the planet. “I came so close to destroying this planet...I was so blinded…” He closed his eyes, a soft chuckle, a genuinely amused chuckle, escaped his lips.

“You were upset.” Pan followed his gaze. “So long alone...It’s no wonder you got a little messed up…”

He let out a brief laugh, the look of amusement on his face being replaced with one of remorse. “I...I’m just confused right now, I guess.” He turned to her again. “Even after all of this, I...I don’t know if I can forgive the Saiyans...Not sure if I ever will…”

“That’s understandable, yeah…” She nodded. “Scars like that don’t heal with a cry and a hug...Sometimes they never heal…”

Baby took one more glance at the Earth, before turning away from it, turning his back to Pan. “I should get going…”

“Go?” She asked, concern in her eyes. “You...You don’t have to, y’know? There’s plenty of room on Earth--”

“Don’t worry.” He smirked, meeting her gaze. “I’m not gonna do anything I might regret…” He looked out into the stars above, staring into the distance. “I just...need time to think. I’ve been so set on one goal for so long...I need to really look at myself, and see if I can change myself before I return.” He began to float away, waving goodbye. “I’ve made my own share of mistakes, kid. I’m gonna try and become better, so that I don’t make them again.”

He smirked, malice absent. “And when I get back, I want to fight you again, and really pay you back for making me cry like some kind of weakling, got it?”

Pan grinned, nodding. “Yeah...And the name’s not ‘kid’. It’s Pan.”

“Alright then...I’ll see you around, Pan.” With one last look at the Earth, he spun on his heel, taking out into the cosmos with a burst of light.

She waved until his aura vanished amongst the stars, suddenly aware of how cold it was so high above the planet. She rubbed her arms, slowly descending back towards her friends and family, smiling as she spotted them all waiting for her down below.

\--

Tullece coughed into his hand, scowling at the blood on his palm. Beyond his pod window, he could see something zipping past, further and further into the cosmos. He glared down at the compartment next to his seat, at the seed he had brought, now broken in two.

He wouldn’t let them make a fool of him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends the longest chapter of Dragon Ball: Mercy thus far.
> 
> Thanks for staying patient, I'm looking forward to keeping the story going in the new year.
> 
> Happy Holidays, everyone!


	17. Bit By Bit

Months had passed since Tullece’s assault and Baby’s self-exile, and before long, things had returned to normal, relatively speaking. Vegeta, although he had survived Tullece’s attack, had yet to wake up, and had been confined to the Capsule Corp. infirmary. Eighteen had been repaired as well, as thankfully Gero had built her with a self-sustaining cranial bloodflow in the event that her head needed removal, whether for maintenance or in case her opponent was just that powerful. As soon as everyone had recovered enough to train once more, Pan had found a new motivation to unlock her inner power, a power that she had yet to replicate from her fight with Baby.

Screams echoed across the wastelands as Pan powered up, her aura flaring up around her as she tried, tried, tried to find that same feeling deep in her core that she had felt before. She knew what she was capable of now, and she would stop at nothing to reawaken that strength.

Unfortunately, nothing so good ever comes so easily.

As had been the case for the past several months, Pan’s hair flickered golden for just a split second, before her aura faded, and she fell forward onto her face, her throat sore and her muscles aching. Bra, who had been helping Gohan oversee Pan’s progress while the rest of the group trained, knelt down, offering a hand to help her friend up. Pan took her hand, sitting up and scratching at her temple.

“I just don’t get it!” She huffed, crossing her arms. “I know it’s there now, but I just...can’t freakin’ do it again!” She looked towards Bra. “What am I missing here? What should I be looking for?”

Bra hummed in thought, trying to think of a way to explain the transformation. “It’s like...If just thinking about loss and anger isn’t enough, you wanna look for this weird, tingly feeling near your lower back, I think? I don’t know, the location is different a lot of the time, but that seems to be the most common one?”

Pan craned her neck around, staring at her tail. “I can feel a sort of tingle in my tail, but…”

Gohan scratched his chin. “Maybe we need to cut it off for the transformation to occur?”

She immediately grabbed hold of her tail, holding it close as though to protect it. “YEAH NO NO THANK YOU.”

“I don’t think that’s it.” Bra laughed, nervously. “I mean, that Tullece guy still had his tail...Well...Until Eighteen cut it off.”

Pan pushed herself to her feet, taking a deep breath and steadying herself. “Right, a tingly feeling…” She closed her eyes, focusing, reaching deep down, searching for the sensation that Bra described. There was definitely something there, something emanating from her tail, a sort of warmth.

Her aura lifted up around her once more, and she grit her teeth, pinpointing the feeling and drawing it out to the best of her ability, as though she were lifting a heavy bucket from a well. Her hair wavered, spiking upwards, dark brown, brown, reddish-gold, golden. Her eyes, dark brown, brown, reddish-purple, blue, cyan.

With one enormous, mighty shout, her aura turned golden, electricity sparking around her as she screamed her lungs out, the bucket so close to the lip of the well. Her tail spasmodically twitched, wagging from one side of her body to the other, the warmth becoming an intense burn.

“You’ve got it!” Bra cheered, pumping her fists in the air. “You’re almost there, just a bit more!”

Pan’s screams died down, and she managed to give her father and friend a grin, before the golden glow faded, and she collapsed once more, panting heavily, completely drained of her power. She shakily pushed herself onto her elbows, pounding a fist to the ground in frustration. “Gods DAMMIT!” She huffed. “I was so close!”

Gohan turned to look at the setting sun, before helping his daughter stand. “Come on, we can try again next session.”

The Z Fighters disbanded for the evening, Pan, Gohan, and Bra returning to Mount Paozu. As they stepped through the door, they could hear the television in the next room chattering on, going on about the attack Tullece had launched on Satan City.

As expected, the residents had assumed that whatever had destroyed part of the city had been taken down by Mr. Satan, who was only too happy to confirm, though he did share the glory by mentioning a select few names among the Z Fighters (namely Pan, in an attempt to put the idea of taking up his mantle into her head). There was talk of him hosting a celebration to commemorate the victory, and rumor had it that the location would be on a yacht, though there was no confirmation there yet.

Normalcy remained for some time, and before anyone knew it, winter had led into spring. The rumors had been confirmed to be true, though due to several factors, the celebration had been postponed, whether it be that the catering had been compromised, a non-seaworthy ship, and whatever else have you.

Finally, a date had been decided, one week from the next World Tournament, an idea put into place by Hercule to coincide with Pan’s birthday.

As Pan and Bra walked into class a few days before the tournament, they could immediately tell that something was wrong. Largely because the first face that had greeted them was a familiar, pale, red-cheeked, lavender-haired cyborg.

“Greetings.” ‘A’ waved as they sat down at their desks. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Wh-What’re you doing here?!” Bra managed to stop herself from shouting; luckily, there were very few students in class at the moment, and she thanked the gods that they had come in early. “Did something happen at home?”

“Negative.” ‘A’ droned. “Your mother suggested that I begin taking classes in order to refine my social skills.” They glanced around the room as more students entered. “I feel as though it will be a simple enough task.”

“Dear gods…” Bra held her face in her hands. “Just don’t embarrass me, okay, Toaster?”

“I will make no promises.”

Bra groaned.

The cyborg took their seat, deciding to sit next to Pan and Bra. The latter of the two groaned again, realizing, “ _Oh gods no, they’ve got the same hair color as Trunks...everyone’s gonna think I’m related to this freak…_ ”

The first bell of the day rang, and the classroom quieted down as the teacher stepped in. “Good morning, class!” She greeted, jovially. “I’ve been told that we have a new student among us. Why don’t you come to the front and introduce yourself.”

‘A’ followed her instructions, walking to the front of the room, their legs whirring silently. Bra inwardly thanked her mother for making sure their joints and whatnot were kept well-oiled. They spun around to face the class.

“Greetings.” Unfortunately, there was still the issue of their voice and manner of speaking. “I am cyborg ‘A’, built by Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army. I hope to make acquaintance with you all and collect sufficient data on the social interactions of adolescent humans.” Bra’s forehead hit her desk in humiliation.

It was going to be a long, long, long school year.

\--

The last bell of the day chimed, the room filling with the sounds of scraping chairs and rustling papers as the students all prepared to head home for the evening.

Bra was the first one out the door, eager to leave behind the cyborg; in the span of a single day, they had used their nose as a pencil sharpener, sent a kid to the nurse during a game of softball in PE, offered to use their stomach as a microwave during lunch (going so far as to open their abdominal cavity to show that, yes, their stomach was in fact a microwave), and even made it known that they had recorded every single lesson for Bra to listen to if she needed any refreshers, loud enough for the class to hear.

She slung her bag over her shoulder, Pan following her not too far behind. “Bra, hold up a second!” She finally managed to catch up, confused as to her hurry. “Why’re you walking so fast? Do you need to be in The Room?”

“Might as well need to…” Bra mumbled, scratching the bridge of her nose. “I'm just glad to be done with that freak for the day.”

“Piersha, you mean?” Pan quipped, trying to earn at least a snicker. She received no response. “Alright, I'll bite. What's your beef with ‘A’?”

“My ‘beef’ is that they're a jerk who got you, your dad, and Piccolo killed.” She just barely remembered to whisper the last part, and she huffed, crossing her arms.

“I mean, yeah,” Pan shrugged, “but they were just following a pre-programmed protocol. As far as I know they didn't really have a say in what they were doing, unlike now.”

“Even by that standard, they're a creep who thought it was proper to tag along while me and Dennish were on a date, and I get the feeling they really freaked him out.” Bra wasn't budging on this, and Pan just shrugged again, sighing.

“You rang?” Dennish strode up beside Bra, grinning. She immediately perked up, momentarily forgetting about the pesky cyborg.

“Maybe I did, who wants to know?” She leaned over, giving him a peck on the cheek. Pan put on a genuine grin at seeing her so happy, trying to ignore the less-welcome pang of sadness in her chest. The three continued on their way, and Pan found herself looking back every so often, a lavender head of hair following not too far behind in the midst of the crowd.

Pan could see an upcoming sign that read ‘DANGER - City Under construction’, surrounded by traffic cones and police tape; the battlefield where they had taken on Tullece. She let out a breath through her nose, how close they’d been to dying for good weighing on her mind. Her eyes glanced skyward, and she found herself wondering where Baby was about now.

‘A’ continued to push through the crowd, keeping their distance from the three. At long last, Bulma had finally given them a directive, albeit a simple one: alongside refining their social skills, she had asked of them to keep an eye on Bra, as even though she knew Pan would protect and offer her comfort, she still wanted a status report as it were, her motherly worries having taken hold after so long separated from her daughter.

Suddenly, ‘A’ stopped, eyes trained forward as something clicked in their head, some sort of alert, a warning. They drew their gaze skyward, a strange fuzziness just out of their peripherals, a sort of interference in their power-sensing protocols.

It felt as though…

\--

“You ended up destroying it just as planned after all.”

“Was there ever any doubt? Trying to poison me, the nerve!”

Deep in the cosmos, far from Earth, fresh debris that had once been a thriving planet floated. Among the dust were two figures, a blue-skinned humanoid man, donning an otherworldly uniform and a staff with a floating globe at the top end, and a purple cat-like being, baggy blue pants split at the back to allow his tail to move and swish around.

The cat-like man scratched between two of his teeth with a clawed finger, a malicious smirk on his face. “Their food was adequate at best anyway, so it’s not too big a deal for them to just vanish.” He stretched his neck a bit. “Come on, Whis, let’s get going.”

“As you wish, Lord Beerus.”

The cat-like man, Beerus, placed his hand upon his attendant’s shoulder, and the pair vanished in a flash of light. As they zipped through space at light speed, Beerus hummed, sensing something off in the distance. “It looks like we have visitors, Whis.”

“Would you like to confront them, milord?”

Beerus was silent for a moment, before scoffing, shaking his head. “Let them come to me, you know we Gods of Destruction can’t fight for fear of annihilating the universe.”

Whis nodded, continuing on their way, only to halt, the orb on his staff glowing brightly. “Oh my. It looks like we have a Saiyan nearby.”

“A Saiyan?” Beerus perked up, his eyes shining dangerously. “I thought they had all been wiped out. The ones back home certainly aren’t wearing those halos as a fashion statement.”

“It appears there’s one passing by not too far from here.” He turned to glance at Beerus. “Shall we give chase?”

“Of course.” His smirk grew. “Perhaps this one will be obedient enough to lead us to the Super Saiyan God.”

And with that, they vanished once more.

\--

Tullece snored softly as his pod zipped through space, passing stardust and nebulous gas alike. Following his attempt to seize the Earth, he had fled into the depths of space, landing on a strange planet known as Yardrat. At first, they had confused him for someone else, a certain ‘Goku’, and Tullece had been only too happy to play along, at least until they had healed his wounds.

After which, he had made short work of them.

The Saiyan twitched in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open as he stretched as best he could in his pod. He observed the computer screen to the side of his pod door, his distance from Earth shrinking with each second. His lips turned up in a sneer, the stump of his wrist burning with anticipation.

Suddenly, his pod screeched to a halt, and he nearly flew out of his seat and through the windshield. He scanned the computer screen again, looking out into the darkness of space, trying to see what had stopped him. The pod began moving again, this time lowering down to one of the nearby planets.

He opened the door to his pod as it entered the atmosphere, looking about, coming face-to-face with Beerus and Whis.

“Who are you?” He scowled, a chill running down his spine. “You must not know who you’re dealing with.” Despite his bravado, he stood on guard; if they were able to not only match but surpass his pod’s speed, and stop it no less, they had to be more than they first appeared to be, though how much more he couldn't tell due to his lack of a scouter.

Instantly, Beerus felt his insides sour; the impudence of this mortal, not only demanding their names but also thinking himself so important that they'd know his. “Perhaps you don't know who _you're_ dealing with, Saiyan.”

Tullece’s brow furrowed. _So, they know I'm a Saiyan, eh?_ He thought to himself.

“You might want to show some respect. After all, we wouldn't want to destroy you too soon, would we?” Beerus’ eyes glinted menacingly, and Tullece felt the need to back away (not that he had anywhere to back away to).

“Destroy me, eh?” Tullece scoffed, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. “You and what army?”

That was the straw that broke Beerus’ back.

He raised an arm up in front of him, and Tullece put up his guard, expecting an energy blast. None came.

“Tell me,” Beerus snarled, “what do you know about the Super Saiyan God?”

Tullece blinked, confused. He had never heard of such a thing. With a surge of power, his hair spiked up, turning golden. “Do you mean a Super Saiyan?” He smirked. “Surely, this power is most god-like, isn't it?”

Beerus, however, was unimpressed. “How arrogant, to think a normal Super Saiyan would be enough to satisfy me.” His hand twitched slightly, his eyes glinting as a purple aura surrounded both himself and Tullece. “ **Destruction.** ”

A moment passed, and Tullece at first couldn't tell what had happened. Then, the burning began, an agonizing, searing pain that seemed to boil him from the inside out. He clutched desperately at his chest, his fingers grasping nothing as his body slowly turned into mist, his screams echoing and dying as he was completely erased from existence.

Beerus scratched at his ear, sighing in disappointment. “Come on, Whis, we've wasted enough time here as it is.”

Whis nodded. “As you wish, milord.”

A flash of light, and they were gone, leaving Tullece’s pod to plummet to the planet below.

\--

Pan glanced out of the window of the Son family kitchen, sighing in exasperation as she spotted the lavender pigtails sticking out from behind one of the trees; ‘A’ had continued following them right up to the peak of Mount Paozu. Dennish and Bra were waiting in the next room, and Pan had offered to gather snacks and drinks as they sat down to do their homework. She took a couple of steps back towards the doorway, stopping as she heard them two of them talking.

“Say, Bra? I have a question.” Pan pressed herself up against the wall, listening closely.

“Yeah? What's up?”

Dennish seemed to pause a moment. “Erm, promise you won't take this the wrong way?”

“C’mon, out with it!”

“What, uh...How do you feel about Pan?”

Pan nearly dropped the tray of drinks, freezing, her breath catching in her throat. What was Dennish doing? Looking for a reason to break up with Bra? Suspicious that she was cheating?

For a moment, Pan could feel a rage burning in her chest, how _dare_ he insinuate she was unfaithful. The absolute gall! And it was probably Piersha who’d put the idea in his head, too, that brat. Her grip on the tray tightened, the glasses nearly chattering and clinking against it.

“Where'd that come from?” Bra chuckled, and Pan felt her anger melt away at the sound of her voice. A moment more, and she spoke again. “Pan’s my best friend! It's not like I could ever hate her or anything.”

Dennish was silent again, before clearing his throat. “Do you love her?”

Pan’s heart nearly stopped, a part of her wanting to step into the open, to stop her from answering; a ‘no’ would completely destroy her, faster than any energy attack could. But, she stood still, hoping, hoping she would say

“Of course I love her.”

Her heart leapt into her throat, the intense pounding in her ears becoming a melodious beat. A million and one questions whirled through her mind at once: why had she not said something? Was it so she wouldn't hurt Dennish? Did she just not want to face the possibility of rejection? Did she want to make sure Pan felt the same way first?

“We've been together since we were kids. We're practically sisters!”

The effect was immediate.

Pan felt her heart drop to the deepest pit of her stomach, her arms trembling slightly. Wordlessly, she placed the tray on the kitchen counter, silently leaving through the...window? The back door? The wall? She wasn't sure.

She felt her shoulders quivering, pressure building behind her eyes. And yet, as she passed mountain peaks and cliffs, rivers and forests, plains and wastelands, not a single tear was shed. Instead, to her surprise, she found herself laughing.

The further she got from Mount Paozu, the louder her laugh became, until she was forced to touch down in the wastelands, stumbling onto her knees.

She would need to thank Bra later, as she could feel the bucket right on the lip of the well as her heart crumbled to pieces.

Her laughter turned first to sobs, and then, screams.

\--

“We look out for each other, you know? She's always been there for me when she could be, and I've tried to do the same.” Bra’s grin was unwavering. “I don't even need to imagine what living without her would be like, I _did_ live without her for a while...and, truth be told? I don't think I ever want to go through that again.”

Dennish stared, more than a little stunned; she'd completely misinterpreted his question. “Erm... I meant more like...do you _love_ her?” Bra tilted her head, still confused. “I'm sorry, I'm probably coming off as jealous here. I just… I've seen how you are around her, and if you'd be happier with her, I don't want to stand in the way of that.”

Bra stared, before his question finally clicked. “Oh. Oh!” She let out a nervous laugh, waving away his concerns. “I-I mean, I've never given it much thought, you know? It's not like friends can't comfort each other, or sleep in the same bed, or want to spend their lives together…” She trailed off.

Dennish held his face in his hand. “Bra, are you sure you know what the difference between friendship-love and more-than-friendship-love is?”

“O-of course I do!” She protested. “It's completely natural to think one particular friend is perfect to be in a relationship with without being in a relationship!”

“Even if the perfect relationship would have you in it?”

Bra paused, completely taken aback. It was true, she had never given it much thought, her and Pan becoming an item. They were just friends who happened to mesh really well together to the point that, okay, sure, an outsider looking in may have assumed they were dating, and perhaps even an insider who didn't need to look in would assume it.

Surely that was a normal thing, wasn’t it?

Bra wasn't so certain now.

She placed a hand to her chin, thinking. _Did_ she love Pan that way? A part of her said that, no, she was right, friends were just like that sometimes, but… another part of her said otherwise…

Dennish could sense her distress, and rephrased his question: “Would you be happier dating her than you are now dating me?”

She looked at him, rolling the question around in her noggin. Would she? She wanted to say ‘of course not’ and just push the thought to the back of her mind, but she couldn’t lie to herself for more than a few moments, and she nodded slowly.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, yet smiling nonetheless. “Alright then. Guess I’ve been outdone.” He laughed, the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice. “Well, I guess I never really stood a chance in the first place, huh?”

Bra shook her head. “N-No, you were great! I...I guess I’m just not quite as introspective as I thought…” She bowed her head a little. “Sorry… You're not upset, are you?”

“I'll live.” He grinned, giving her a thumbs up. “Why don't you go to her. I'll stay here and let you two have your privacy while you talk.”

Bra returned his smile, and began to stand, before a spark went off in her head, and she stumbled against the couch. Dennish caught her before she could fall, concerned.

“Bra? What's wrong? Are you--?”

She stared through the walls, seemingly into nothingness, a shiver coursing through her as the energy spike quickly faded.

“Pan…”

\--

It was much the same for the rest of the Z-Fighters, their senses going off as Pan's energy rocketed through the roof. The wasteland was covered in a blinding golden light for but a moment, before it faded, and the dust began to settle.

Pan trembled, on her knees, tears cascading down her cheeks, a few strands of dark brown hair hanging over her equally-colored eyes. She lowered her head, raised her hands to her face, and sobbed.


End file.
